


RWBY: Digital

by LuckyIrish19



Category: RWBY
Genre: Aged up! (Kinda), Gamer AU!, Just thought this would be fun..., Multi, Music you can listen to!, Original AU!, Real life!, maybe some angst?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-27
Updated: 2018-10-05
Packaged: 2019-02-07 16:35:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 20,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12845163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuckyIrish19/pseuds/LuckyIrish19
Summary: The gaming enterprise has now rocked the world with the new Genesis console, the most advanced and powerful virtual reality system known to man.And Ruby Rose, a recent gamer, will soon realize that the real world can be just as dangerous as the monsters she fights in her video-game.Let the games begin...





	1. Introductions

* * *

(Listening to **Left Hand Free, from alt-J** )

 

Sunlight poured into the academy halls as it bustled with young men and women, most of them no older than eighteen.

Boys in school suits leaning on lockers, chatting up with girls in uniform plaid red skirts. The entire hallway was filled and splattered with individual colors and ethnicities.

 

Ruby Rose had her black and red-accented headphones on her head, the speakers completely covering her ears as she listened to the song she had up, walking and slinking through the crowded passage.

Seventeen-years-old and she was one of the brightest students in this campus, passing her classes and earning herself an above average Grade Point Average.

Though, her absolute favorite classes were self-defense and acrobatics, which gave her a surprisingly slim but fit body. All of that by learning how to do flips and swing around a wooden pole, and she was good at it, thanks to her uncle; whom trained her off campus.

The best part was it was required to take classes to defend yourself, and she got to do kick the snot out of everyone every Monday through Wednesday.

 

The girl faintly hopped as she adjusted her backpack over her left shoulder, which was the only strap it had, since the other one fell off.

That resulted in one of her long bangs to fall over her eye.

She brushed back the strand of her short choppy black hair with scarlet-red highlights to the side, allowing her a chance to pull her phone out from her blazer pocket, causing her to watch her legs stride as her skirt swayed with her, the edge of the cloth barely covering the ends of her black thigh-high socks.

In her peripheral vision, the girl watched her jet-black tie swing slightly from side to side as she unlocked her phone.

 

Ruby: Do you know where Uncle Row is? Others are saying they haven’t seen him all day…

 

Yang: Uncle Row?

Ruby: Qrow.

Ruby: Stupid auto-correct…

 

Yang: Beats me.

Yang: Dad hasn’t seen him.

Ruby: Well, let’s just hope he makes it in time for class.

Ruby: Really don’t want another up-tight substitute.

 

Yang: Port and Oobleck aren’t that bad.

Ruby: I was talking about Goodwitch.

 

Yang: Oh, she’s the worst. But hey, have a nice day.

 

Rose locked her phone and slipped it back into her coat pocket, her silver eyes lazily scanning over the scenery as she passed by.

She spotted a group of girls huddled around each other, catching up on the latest gossip and any rumors flying around the school.

 

Ruby did indeed have friends, she just didn’t have a lot of them. In fact, she only had three.

There was Pyrrha Nikos, one of her closer associates. Beautiful and strong, both physically and mentally. She had such vivid red hair, one could spot her even in this crowd. She was the kindest soul anyone could ever know, but despite her looks, she still had the time to be a straight A student.

Not only was she blessed with beauty, she was also a gifted fighter. The only one to ever beat Ruby at her own game, forcing the younger girl to strive for refinement.

Unfortunately, those combat skills didn’t translate to Genesis. She claimed she was terrible at the game, and Ruby has seen it. So many respawns with so little kills.

 

There was also Jaune Arc, the more platonic and mutual relationship. Jaune was a nice guy and all, and he didn’t look half-bad when it came to looks. He was just very awkward and anti-social, which Ruby could relate to very well.

He wasn’t necessarily smart either. Not to say he was stupid, he just keeps saying he doesn’t understand the material, which made Ruby his life-line.

Though to add onto the list of cons, he wasn’t very good at fighting. That guy went home with more bruises and black-eyes than anyone in the school, which didn’t help with his popularity. The poor guy was constantly bullied by this jock named Cardin Winchester and his lackeys.

Nonetheless, in a fight, a shield was a no-brainer for him.

 

And then there was Penny Polendina, whom Rose would consider the oddball. She was cute and all, especially with her tangerine curly hair and freckles. Her actions just seemed very animated most of the time, despite being the adopted daughter of the headmaster, Ozpin.

Not a lot of friends either, which gave Ruby a good rep with the headmaster. Despite her loneliness, with Rose, she was the friendliest person alive. She was always making sure that the headphone wearing girl how her day was and if she was okay.

However, her fighting skills were astounding. To everyone’s surprise, she had mastered multiple forms of martial arts and weapons, making her a dangerous girl to confront.

 

Last, but certainly not least, was Coco Adele.

She was the full-tilt diva of the group, except she was actually nice. Her stunning bob-cut chocolate brown hair and chestnut eyes hid very powerful martial arts experience and an abundantly clear marksmanship.

Truth be told, Ruby was actually surprised that her intelligence was as sharp as her sense of style.

But, she also had a mouth on her. In other words, she had a very opinionated way of viewing things and wasn't exactly afraid to say what was on her mind. In fact, it had almost gotten her kicked out of the Academy on more than one occasion.

Thankfully, the number of times that had happened hasn't gone past one hand...

...yet.

 

 

Ruby gradually brought herself back to reality, resuming her stroll towards her last class of the day, which led her outside into the indoor courtyard.

Wishing she hadn’t, Ruby spotted a couple making out in front of everyone.

The walking girl averted her gaze and shook her head, blinking her eyes several times in attempts to erase the image from her mind.

 

Ruby really didn’t have a problem with dating, it’s just that there were a few things that just kept her from dating.

One, she really wasn’t into men. She had found that out a couple years ago when she spotted a cute girl walk by, making her blush.

Two, no one actually knew that she was gay. Her father, sister and friends knew, but everyone else didn’t and just assumed she was straight, which she was okay with.

And three, she was never asked out. Yeah, being the anti-social emo-ish girl kind of had that effect on people.

 

Ruby shook her head again, reminding herself that she had somewhere to be.

 

After a few minutes of walking, she found her room and pushed open the door, revealing the enormous size of the lecture hall.

Row after row of seats were placed behind long slabs for counters, with various students speckled about the area.

Rose then spotted Penny, whom was waving to get her attention. The girl climbed up the steps and slid into the seat next to the redhead, taking off her headphones.

 

“I was transferred to this class,” Penny explained, “Can you remind me what it is again?”

“Mythology,” Ruby answered kindly, shrugging off her backpack.

“And who’s the professor?” the friend questioned.

 

Just then, the door violently swung open as a seasoned-looking man walked in.

He had a strong jaw-line and midnight black hair, with a few hints of greying strands in the back. He had a stubble of a chin-beard that traced over the angles of his jaw, making it look like he had mutton-chops.

He had a black waist-coat over a grey dress shirt, having the top couple of buttons undone and his blood red tie loose, which exposed his sideways facing cross necklace; and with that, the cuffs of his sleeves were rolled all the way up to his elbows, bearing his hairy arms.

The soles of his dress shoes clacked against the floor as his dark-grey slacks swished off each other with each step he took.

The man then carefully placed the palm of his hand over his forehead and ran it down his face, signifying his drowsiness.

 

“My uncle,” Ruby replied.

 

“Alright,” Qrow announced, his voice deep and gruff, “Class is in session.”

 

He then flopped into his chair behind his desk, leaning back as he hung his head over the frame as he lifted his legs onto his desk.

 

“Okay, kids,” the old man said, his speech slightly slurred, “I have a hangover, can you tell me what that means?”

“You’re drunk?” a student responded, sounding unsure of his answer.

“No, it means I was drunk yesterday,” Branwen refuted, “But good job for trying.”

 

And thus, we dive into the adventurous life of Ruby Rose….

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sisterly love...

* * *

“Alright, it’s that time of the day,” Qrow slurred, dismissing his class, “I want those essays on how Atlas resembles the strength of the world and any other interesting facts on the Greek gods on my desk by Wednesday next week. Three pages minimum, Cardin. And don’t find someone else to do it for you. I may be old, but I can still tell if it’s your handwriting or not.”

 

“Oh, come on,” the jock cursed.

 

Qrow chuckled as he organized his desk, noticing his niece approaching him as everyone else left.

 

“What’s up, kiddo?” the man asked, greeting the girl with a smile.

“Dad wants to know if you’ll make it home tonight,” Ruby questioned, “You know, because he doesn’t like making food for someone who isn’t going to eat it.”

“I’ll make it,” Branwen replied, placing his hand over her head and messing up her hair, “Don’t you worry.”

“Oh, and Uncle Qrow?” Rose chirped, halting just as she began to leave, “Try not to get into any fights along the way.”

“Cross my heart,” the old man promised, drawing an X over his chest, “And if it goes as it usually does, I’ll have the sweet and sour chicken.”

 

Several minutes later, Ruby found herself outside, walking towards a bench where she waited for the bus.

She had her headphones blasting with her favorite artist, Casey Lee Williams, when she finally decided to look up.

Her gaze was caught by a woman leaning against a motorcycle, wearing gold rimmed Aviator sunglasses to shield her eyes from the bright sun.

 

“Yang?” Ruby called.

“S’up buttercup,” the sister greeted with a sly smirk.

 

Yang Xiao Long, the blonde epitome of both awesome and silliness. Nineteen-years-old and worked in a workshop, fixing cars and motorbikes on a daily basis.

She was beautiful beyond compare, her long golden yellow hair swaying in the wind as she propped herself up.

She always wore an orange tank-top that had a bold yellow print on her left side, which looked a lot like fire. Over that was an umber brown cropped leather jacket; her right sleeve was rolled up almost to her elbow, showing off her black and grey Chinese dragon tattoo that Ruby knew rounded off halfway up her bicep, and the head of the beast on the back of her palm. On both hands were black fingerless gloves, which were slightly tucked away into the folds of her brown cargo jeans. The cuffs of her pants hung idly on top of her black biker boots.

Yang was a total gear-head, too. Her motorcycle proved it. A five-speed Ducati & Italia Independent Limited-Edition Scrambler with a custom-made fuel tank and had a body that smoothly transitioned from a vivid tangerine to a glowing golden yellow, with a bright print much like on her tank-top.

Not only was she smart with mechanics, she was mighty powerful with her fists. Her fighting was so well-renowned, it almost got her kicked out of the academy multiple times, even before she enrolled.

 

_Four years ago…_

 

“Let’s see here, Miss Xiao Long,” Ozpin said, straightening his papers, “You barely graduated Signal primary school and you’ve challenged me to fight six times since the interview began…”

“Make it seven!” the blonde shouted, grabbing the coffee mug on the table and smashed it against the desk, turning the cup into a sharp weapon.

“Welcome to the Academy, Miss Xiao Long,” Ozpin quickly said, leaning back as the jagged ceramic mug crept closer.

 

_Back to the present…_

 

Unfortunately, she had to drop out of the academy by her choice. At the time, their father had been relieved of military duty years before and he had a PTSD attack, which had gotten him fired from his job.

Yang quickly found a mechanic job that paid really well and aligned with her skill set.

Shortly after that, Taiyang had found a job as a construction worker that paid moderately well, allowing both of the Xiao Longs to help pay for Ruby’s education.

 

“What are you doing here?” Rose asked, pausing her music and sliding off her headphones.

“They let me off work early,” Yang answered, “Thought I’d swing by and give you a lift home.”

“Um, okay, yeah,” Ruby stuttered, taken by surprise by her sister’s sudden visit.

“But first,” the blonde started, “How about we head to Belladonna Diner and let you get changed?”

“That would be nice, sure,” the younger sister politely agreed.

 

Responding accordingly, Yang turned around and swung her leg over the seat of her bike as Ruby joined, sitting sideways on the back-half.

Yang then pulled a full-face helmet and dropped it against Rose’s chest.

 

“Safety first,” she chirped.

“You’re the one driving,” Ruby protested, “You wear it!”

“You’re my little sister!” Yang shot back, grabbing the helmet and quickly pulled it over her sibling’s head before she could fight back, “You wear it!”

“Hey!” the younger sister exclaimed, feeling the sudden cushioned pressure of the helmet begin to squeeze her head.

 

Immediately after, the blonde smacked the forehead of the polyester guard with her free hand.

 

“Ow!” Ruby squeaked, her hand zipping to the spot, “What was that for?!”

“What’s that?” Yang sarcastically shouted, positioning her hand next to her ear as if to listen in on something, “Speak up! I can’t hear you over the sound of your safety!”

“Just drive,” Rose grumbled in defeat.

 

Yang chuckled triumphantly as she kicked up the stand and stomped on the ignition, revving the engine to life.

The blonde released the brake handle and twisted the gas stem, swiftly picking up speed as they drove away.

 

_30 minutes later…_

 

Yang sat at a small booth diner table, reading a biker magazine as she waited for her sister.

 

The Belladonna Diner had a quaint, heart-warming atmosphere, with a long service area that was accented with deep rich colored wooden tables and seats, plants and herbs giving the diner an outdoors feel. And to accommodate those that came to relax, it had a magazine and novel section near the entrance.

Despite the warming aura, the Belladonna company was in competition with the Schnee Diner Enterprise.

Their concept of comfort was more… futuristic. Sleek, clean, white everything with a menu that would both leave you still feeling hungry and make you snap your credit card in half.

Yang had heard the family that owned the business were crazy rich and insanely snobby about it.

 

Just then, Ruby lightly punched her sister’s shoulder as she passed by, throwing her bag with her books and clothes in the seat across from the blonde, flopping into the same cushions herself.

 

“You look comfortable,” Yang commented.

“I feel comfortable,” Rose replied.

 

These comfortable clothes consisted of a scarlet red hoodie, a black leather jacket, white t-shirt, black jeans and tennis shoes. But she had holes in the sleeves of her hoodie for her thumbs, simply because she found them comfortable.

 

“We start this evenings news with a new development in the Vytal Games Tournament,” the television blared with the image of a lavender-haired woman.

“Um, sir,” Ruby called the man behind the service area, “Could you please turn it up?”

 

The man obliged and grabbed the remote, increasing the volume to the electronic set.

 

“In a bracing match against the mighty Team NDGO,” the anchor announced, “Team SALEM emerged victorious in the final round, allowing them to keep their title as Champions of Genesis. The battle was hard fought as it appeared that NDGO would triumph. Unsurprisingly, SALEM overpowered their opponents easily. Next week, SALEM will face off against team BRNZ.”

“I’m Lisa Lavender, with this evenings news.”

 

Yang let out a huff of disbelief, then said, “It’s amazing to think that Genesis didn’t exist four years ago and now it’s taken over the world.”

“Do you think it’s true they arrest people for hacking the game?” Ruby asked.

“I don’t see why not,” Xiao Long responded, “It’s so big on the market right now; hacking it might as well be a federal offense.”

“Thank God there’s nothing federal about this game though,” Rose huffed, “I don’t like the idea of being spied on by the government. It creeps me out.”

 

Then, out of nowhere, Yang’s phone buzzed, forcing her to take it out.

 

“Alright, dad’s wondering where we are,” the blonde explained, standing up from her seat, “Let’s hit the road before it gets dark.”

“Cool,” Ruby replied, joining her sister.

 

 

(Listening to **Son of Flynn, TRON: Legacy Soundtrack** )

 

 

Several minutes later, the two were calmly riding the freeway, the wind grabbing at their skin as the sun began to set behind the clouds, splashing the sky with beautiful reds, purples, and oranges.

It wasn’t until they zoomed into a tunnel that Ruby noticed they were going a little too fast; and by a little, she meant a lot.

Yang swerved smoothly from side to side as she barreled past the slower vehicles in front of them.

 

“Don’t you think you should slow down?” Ruby yelled through her helmet.

“Why should I?” Yang asked, a faint chuckle in her response.

 

As if waiting for those words, a siren wailed behind the sisters as flashing red and blue lights emanated around the police motorcyclist.

 

“That’s why!” Ruby shouted.

“Hang on!” the blonde ordered.

 

Yang then flipped a switch on her left side, her headlight suddenly dimming from loss of power. The girl twisted the gas handle harder, causing the bike to speed up.

The blonde continued to swerve as the policeman followed suit, desperately attempting to keep up.

Yang spotted a semi-truck, hitched with a trailer with a reflective surface.

The girl listed quickly behind the mirror-like trailer, following behind it at a dangerous proximity.

 

“Here’s our exit!” Yang exclaimed.

 

The blonde suddenly leaned to the right, causing the bike to fly off the edge of the road and onto an exit road that split off.

Ruby’s behind slammed into the bike’s cushioning as the metal frame bounced in response to the landing, the suspension coils squeaking as they compensated the momentum.

Yang then finally flicked her headlight back on, illuminating the asphalt before them.

Yeah, this was the road they needed to be on.

 

The road to go home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: This story got more kudos plenty times faster than any of my other writings.  
> Was it because of White Rose and Bumblebee?  
> Methinks it might mostly be Bumblebee...


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where there is family, there will always be love...

 (Listening to **Home, Deus Ex: Human Revolution Soundtrack** )

 

Yang’s motorcycle engine hummed and revved as the tires kicked up dust on the dirt road, tree trunks whizzing by as the headlight prostrated the path before the sisters.

Ruby lazily gazed out into the wilderness, the untamed grounds darkened by the time of day as the only source of natural illumination glowed from the half-lit moon.

 

“We’re here,” Yang softly announced, spotting the light shining from the windows of their house.

 

It was a modest house; at least, from their perspective. Two stories with two single bedrooms, one master bedroom, and two guest rooms.

The roof slanted in only one direction; and that was to the left, going down with a bold, dark brown hue. Which, contrasted well with the outside paint-job’s lighter tan and wooden accents.

Porch-lights brightly displayed the jet-black front door as they came into view, sitting idly next to the house’s double-doored garage; of which, one was larger for the car and the other smaller for Yang’s bike.

 

Just then, the blonde pulled a tiny remote from her coat pocket and firmly pressed the only button on it.

The smaller garage door suddenly jolted to life as the flat surface raised itself as the two approached.

The older sibling released the gas and slowly squeezed the handbrake, gradually bringing the vehicle to a crawl as they entered.

 

Ruby hopped off the back seat as her sister turned off the bike’s engine, struggling to take off the helmet but with eventual success.

 

“Wear it next time,” the younger sister ordered, tossing the protective headgear at her sibling.

“With you around?” Xiao Long scoffed with a smirk, placing the helmet on the back of her seat, “Over my dead body.”

 

Rose gently pushed open the garage door leading into the house, pretending to ignore her sister.

 

“We’re home!” Ruby exclaimed.

“In the kitchen!” her father called back, “Making cooked salmon!”

“I can smell it burning already,” Yang whispered, closing the garage entry way behind her.

“I heard that, little lady!” Tai commented, “How was school? Any homework?”

 

“It was good,” Ruby replied, using the most generic response known to any parent, “And just a bit.”

“Do that and eat first,” their father kindly asked, “Then you can go online.”

 

( **End Music** )

 

A handful of minutes later resulted with Ruby and Yang in their respective rooms, with the young Miss Rose working on her schoolwork.

Ruby’s room was actually fairly nice. It had enough space to be considered roomy, but wasn’t too big as to say it was humongous.

 

As Yang loved to put it, it was _just_ right.

 

To decorate it, a black-coated desk with a monitor and lamp accompanied the girl as she wrote the essay her uncle had assigned her, the cabinets filled with papers and notes from various classes.

The desktop was speckled with small pieces of metal framing and wiring; her lamp casting light over what looked like some kind of fabricator, with a large circular metal ring base with wiring leading to eight pincer-like needles hovering over another, but smaller, metal ring.

Beside her desk, another larger fabricator was mounted to her wall, but this one was shaped rectangularly and the pincers were based at the top. Next to that was a mannequin, for fitting whatever came from its large neighbor.

 

Ruby didn't know a thing about clothing, or at least how to properly fit it.

Thankfully, she had Coco to help her with that.

 

Behind her was her closet, stuffed with all of her clothes; which she claimed had variation, but all had the same consistent color scheme, red and black.

Next to that was her bed, which was unique in its own way. Rather than resting on the floor, her mattress rested above an open canopy space that had a short staircase leading up to it.

In the space below her bed, lay her Genesis console.

To get into specifics, her console was an inch thick, eight-inch long, and eleven-inch wide black piece of glossy plastic that lay idly on top of another desktop that also sat in front of three separate but linked monitors, but lay next to a mouse and keyboard.

Laying on top of the actual console was the visor headset, which was in itself, really awesome looking.

It was a strip of solid black, multi-layered plexiglass that, when worn, covered Ruby’s eyebrows and most of her upper cheeks and stretched around far enough to almost touch her ears. The shape of the visor had an obvious dip on the bottom, to ensure that it would rest comfortably over her nose and a subtle half hexagon cut out on top for visual aesthetics.

But if you looked closely, the surface of the slightly glossy glass had interconnected hexagon pattern, like what one would see in a beehive. And placed on either side on the three-quarters view of the head were faintly devoted, but finely traced rectangles with rounded ends that were slanted to look like arrows pointing towards her ears; which lit up with a bright white glow whenever it was active.

And the best part, it was all wireless. The console that contained all of her progress in the game was saved within the three monitors close by via a wireless database. And her visor didn’t have any cables running from it to anything, allowing free movement if she somehow started to move in real life while still in the game.

Added plus, without the cables, she didn’t have to worry about getting whiplash if she started wandering around.

Still had to worry about running into things though.

And on top of that, none of it required batteries. Everything was both wirelessly powered and connected.

To finish it off, in front of the desk itself was a comfy cushioned reclinable chair for her to sit in while she was online. It was there simply to make sure she was comfortable when she was playing, since the console disabled basic motor functions.

 

The developers tried to integrate the game as augmented reality, rather than virtual reality. But resulted were a bunch of lawsuits for unwarranted, but purely accidental, beatings.

After that, virtual reality seemed to be the way to go.

 

“Aw, dammit!” Yang cursed, muffled by the walls of her room.

 

Ruby lifted her head from her papers, hearing the thumps of her sister’s footsteps grow louder as she approached.

 

“Hey,” the blonde greeted as she opened Ruby’s door, “You might as well turn the console on. Software update.”

 

Rose let out an exasperated sigh, knowing full well that these updates always consumed an absurd amount of time.

The young girl accordingly made her way over to her second desk, tapping the center of the small piece of shiny plastic.

In response, for of the same rounded rectangles stylishly traced into existence. After a second, one of the shapes faded out then in just as the next would, forming the image of the dreaded clockwise moving loading wheel.

 

Ruby then inhaled through her nose with unnecessary drama, halting only when a certain scent wafted in.

 

“Do you smell that?” Rose asked, turning to her older sister.

 

Yang sniffed the air a couple times, trying to make heads or tails of what her sister was calling out.

 

“Smells like we’re having Chinese again tonight,” the blonde responded.

“Girls!” their father shouted, “Change of plan! What would you like for Chinese?!”

 

_40 minutes later…_

 

The dining room table was welcomed with the presence of the two girls and father, sitting conjoined next to the kitchen with smooth marble counters and brown wooden cupboards and cabinets.

As she slurped up the ramen to her Beef lo Mein, Ruby felt the sudden urge to take a good look at her father.

Either she was having an existential crisis, dying, or simply because some higher power was guiding her to do it anyways.

 

*Cough* Sue me *Cough Cough*

 

Taiyang Xiao Long, the single father of Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long. Well built and incredibly fit, especially for his age. Short pale blonde hair that was always a mess no matter how hard anyone tried to style it. Though it did compliment his unnaturally deep rich blue eyes and the small patch of facial hair under his bottom lip.

It fit well with his rounded but chiseled jawline, which would’ve looked cool against his military uniform, if he had a reason to wear it.

Speaking of clothes, his style consisted of khaki cargo short and a slightly faded orange polo shirt, with black shoes to comfort his feet.

 

Simply put, he looked like the daddest dad to ever dad in the history of dad-dom.

 

“Anything interesting happen in school today?” the old man kindly questioned before taking a bite of his food.

“There was an announcement,” Ruby answered, “We’re receiving a few transfer students in a couple days.”

“Oh,” Tai chirped, “Where from?”

“They’re from here in Texas,” Rose replied, “Didn’t go into detail on where in the state.”

 

“Okay, on a different topic,” the girl’s father hummed, “How’s that one friend of yours? What was his name? John?”

“Jaune?” Ruby deduced.

“That’s the one,” the man quipped, snapping his fingers, “Has he made any headway?”

“I truly wish I could say he has,” the young girl awkwardly replied, “I don’t think his problem is being afraid of fighting. I think it’s more like he’s afraid of what he could do when he can.”

“Huh, well,” Taiyang huffed, “Either way, he’s gonna have to man up, put some hairs on that scrawny chest of his.”

“Says the guy who asks his daughters to kill spiders for him,” Yang mumbled aloud, grinning from ear to ear.

“Hey,” the old man boldly responded, “Nothing alive should have that many eyes and legs.”

 

The blonde young woman giggled respectively, resuming to eat her food.

 

“Alright, I smell Chinese,” the drunk uncle exclaimed, his gruff voice accompanied with the sound of the front door closing, “No food poisoning tonight.”

“Very funny, Qrow,” Tai unenthusiastically responded, “The ice bag is in the freezer.”

“Thanks,” Branwen replied, walking into the light of the dining room.

 

The old man was a mess. His tie was swinging about and his vest had lost its top button. The bottoms of his forearms were speckled with purple and red bruises and his knuckles were cherry red and swollen. He had a jagged line of a cut running over his right eyebrow and dangerously close to the same side eye, which brought one’s attention to his split lip and enormous bruise on his left cheek.

 

“You look like you’ve seen better days,” Tai commented, watching his close friend open the freezer door.

“You should’a seen the other guy,” the uncle replied, grabbing the ice bag and lazily pressed it against his tender wound on his cheek.

“Gal,” the elder Xiao Long corrected.

“Same difference,” Qrow smoothly commented back.

 

“When are you going to stop torturing that poor woman?” Tai questioned, “I mean, I know she can seem kind of heartless, but you can at least lay off.”

“I’ll stop when it stops being funny,” Branwen answered, “Besides, she started it.”

“Only because you baited her into it,” Taiyang shot back.

“And it was hilarious,” Qrow chuckled.

 

The father then set down his food and rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache come on.

“I swear,” the blonde old man murmured, “It’s like I’m taking care of _three_ children.”

 

Just then, two dings resonated out in the distance, catching everyone’s attention.

 

“Sounds like your consoles are up to date,” the girls’ father said, “If you want to head upstairs, you can.”

“Can we finish dinner first?” Ruby queried.

 

That singular phrase warmed that father’s heart, forcing a smile over his face knowing his family would rather spend time being just that, a family, rather than be glued to a set of goggles with a screen in it.

 

“Yes, you can,” he replied.

“Yeah,” Qrow slurred, “And at least let me start mine. Speaking of which, where is it?”

“We’ll give you one guess,” Yang challenged.

 

The uncle exhaled loudly in grief, then said, “You know I hate cold chicken.”

“And you know we hate that you get into fights all the time,” Ruby commented casually, “Guess we can’t always get what we want.”

 

The uncle then stared at his niece with a humorous gaze.

 

“How dare you use my own lesson against me,” he jokingly growled, slightly cringing as his smile strained his cheek and cuts.

 Ruby and Yang giggled in response, watching their uncle suffer through a cold dinner.

 

 _God, I love my family_ , Ruby thought.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am honestly surprised by how well you guys are receiving the story!  
> I didn't expect this to get so many hits and kudos so quickly!  
> Thank you so much for your positivity!  
> I promise, next chapter will dive right into the heart of the plot!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let the games begin...

Ruby quietly entered her room again, listening closely to her father and uncle arguing for a few more seconds.

 

“Qrow, put down the blender!” Tai demanded, “My mother gave that to me!”

“But I need my drink mixer!” the sobering old man shouted back, “Hands off!”

“Put it back or I’ll make you squawk like the bird you’re named after!” the father threatened.

“No!” the uncle yelled, “Don’t touch me! I licked it! It’s mine!”

 

Ruby giggled silently as she closed her door fully, making her way over to her three monitors.

The girl grabbed the electronic mouse and clicked one of the buttons, causing a window to pop up in the center screen.

 

**Account Login**

**Username:** ___________

 **Password:** ____________

 

Ruby then looked down to her keyboard, positioning her fingers appropriately, typing in:

 

 **Username:** RedRose-47

 **Password:** RlyRlyKoolKid11

 

The girl then clicked enter on her keyboard.

 

**Login Successful**

**Please put on the Genesis Visor**

 

Rose accordingly snatched up the curved piece of glass, walking over to her reclinable chair.

 

(Listening to **Main Menu Theme, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Soundtrack** )

 

The girl bounced as she fell into the furniture, holding the visor in front of her. She then carefully settled it over her eyes, following up by pushing her back against the chair, making it recline.

At first, it was pitch black. The visor had not yet turned on.

Suddenly, the screen inside blinked to life, returning her sight to the image of her room, but every corner and edge was traced in white lines.

Ruby then stood up from her seat, scanning the area in contained awe.

No matter how many times she did this, it still amazed her that this was happening inside her head.

 

Just then, every surface was suddenly laid out in a grid, with a diamond-shaped pattern covering every inch of her room.

The grid slowly faded away as the textures in her room smoothly transitioned into a glossy black surface.

 

Ruby could still see everything. Her desk, her bed, her chair; everything. But it was as if it were coated in a shiny dark tarp that conformed to the shape of everything.

 

Then, there was a sound, but it wasn’t a natural noise.

 

Like frozen raindrops hitting a smooth flat surface in waves, creating a spine-chilling ripple sound.

 

Suddenly, everything shattered into tiny black diamonds, rushing to the ground like actual rain with a loud solid clap of impact as the shards hit the ground.

Several shards bounced off the ground and then froze mid-air, as if they were being viewed through a slow-motion camera, the elongated smooth gems standing perfectly vertical.

She didn’t flinch when that happened. She never really did. She didn’t know what that said about her, but she just didn’t find it scary when that happened.

 

Ruby scanned the area once more, the bright white sky contrasting sharply with the glossy endless flat plain of black.

Every now and then, she would hear the same frozen rippling sound echo around her.

 

The girl then twirled around like a five-year-old would in a plain of long grass.

 

She couldn’t say it enough. It simply astounded her how advanced this system was.

Everything she did in here, every action she took, every choice she made; it was all her.

 

Everything she did was a direct result of her actual skill in the real world.

 

The wave noise grew louder, and it was really close by.

 

The girl turned around, watching as dozens of black diamond shards rippled in wave as several others began to float up.

Within a short amount of time, the shards formed certain shapes, and then began refining the shapes with smaller details as the larger forms gradually faded from black to a rich scarlet red.

 

The form closest to her took the shape of a long flowing cape, which was wrapped around at the top to appropriate a hood, a small silver cross clip holding the folds together.

The girl grabbed the cloth and dramatically twirled it over her head, smoothly opening the clasp and closing it again around her neck.

As she did that, the same ripple sound surrounded her body, making her look down after she had allowed her cape to settle.

 

Her normal clothes were now replaced her avatar’s. Without the cape, she now wore trench-coat-like jacket with a V-shape tail cut that reached halfway down the back of her thighs. The interior of the coat was lined with one-inch long faux fur, which was mostly concealed behind her irregular silver zipper that crossed over her midsection and to the side of her chest.

Her collar was flipped up from underneath the folds of her scarlet cloak, making it clear that her cape and her jacket were two separate pieces of clothing, which reached up high enough for the fur interior to tickle the base of the back of her skull.

The tops of her sleeves and the outsides of her matte black pants were accented by a layer of dark leather-like material, stretching all the way from her shoulders down to her fingers, of which her sleeves appeared to have covered over her palms, making it look like she was wearing fingerless gloves with leather on the backs of her palms.

Loosely slung around her waist was a black leather belt, bearing loops holding five small throwing knives. It had an extra strap connected to an empty pistol holster that was buckled around her left thigh.

Her knees were armored with guards with an obnoxiously round, but cool looking, U-shape, which was connected to the shin-guards on her boots, which were held together by three oval-shaped buckles on the outsides of her calves. The buckles were placed well enough to draw one’s eye towards the bold scarlet hue of the treaded soles of her boots.

The next object that approached her were a pair of black gauntlets. For consistency, the upper parts of the vambraces had the same leather padding, but it was bulkier by about an inch thick. And the fronts and backs were layered in matte black padding with the same thickness as it’s larger counterparts.

What made these gauntlets special was that, a while ago, Ubisoft sponsored the Genesis console and gave the players a chance at some exclusive gear.

 

Simply put, these gauntlets were based off Assassin’s Creed and had hidden blades underneath.

 

Ruby slid the armor over her forearms, watching reinforced metal form over her knuckles. Clenching her hands into fists, she flicked her wrists out.

Silver blades suddenly sprung out from underneath the cover her gauntlets, measuring from the ball of her wrist four inches long and three quarters of an inch wide.

 

The girl flicked her wrists back and the concealed blades quickly retreated back into hiding.

 

The next shape took the form of a gun. Well, more like a pistol than anything, and to add on, it looked more like a fully-upgraded version of the Zenith pistol from Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

The real difference with this firearm was that the barrel was fitted with an integrated suppressor, meaning that every time she fired this gun, it would always be as quiet as the night.

Wasn’t necessarily the most powerful firearm though; the damage stat decreased the farther away a target was.

 

All things aside, Ruby holstered her pistol and eyed the large, oddly shaped form approaching.

The girl grabbed the detail-refined object and released the dormant weapon.

With several quick mechanical whirrs, the form unfolded and sprung out into a gigantic red and black scythe.

 

The Crescent Rose.

 

One of the most powerful and dangerous weapons designed within this game’s known history, not to mention impossibly rare.

Not only was it feared with it’s razor sharp blades, but it had the ability to be used as a customized, long-range, high-impact sniper rifle.

 

Simply put, it’s also a gun.

 

( **End Music** )

 

Ruby pressed the weapon’s form button and watched it fold back into itself, shrinking down to smaller size than as it was presented with.

The most dangerous weapon in the game was now the size of a smartphone, letting the girl clip it to the left side of her belt.

 

All things aside, she was just glad she could equip it.

 

As if the timing was just right, the shards of black stone rippled again and rose into a wavy, bubbling form slightly taller than Ruby.

The diamonds slowly settled and started to shape a finer structure, transitioning from their original dark hue to various tones of yellow and brown.

 

Yang’s avatar suddenly emerged from the amorphic form, bearing a wide smile and confident stance.

 

**Fireballin’69 has joined your Nexus**

 

“You need to change those numbers,” Ruby commented, knowing fully well what it represented.

 

The blonde snapped her fingers on both hands, which ended in her index fingers pointing towards her sibling.

“No,” she chirped, sounding quite proud of herself.

 

Ruby rolled her eyes before she took a look at her sister’s outfit.

Yang’s style was vaguely similar to Ruby’s, but had very obvious differences.

For one, there was the blonde’s right arm.

 

Rather than having a normal arm, it was mechanical.

On the back of palm, fingers, and forearm were vibrant yellow plating, while on the bottom was matte black plating with gel-like pads for her palm and finger-tips.

Besides that, Yang had a dark brown, almost black, trench-coat that had an upside-down V-shape cut on the flaps. In the middle, it stretched down about a third of the way of her thigh, as for the outer edges that stopped halfway down her thighs.

She had the collar and lapel flipped up for a more rugged look, showcasing a similar leather trim over the tops of her arms for her sleeves, much like Ruby.

However, Yang’s didn’t have fingerless extensions. Instead, she had her right sleeve rolled up to her elbow and the cuff of her left sleeve was covered by a dark brown armored vambrace, leading to her fingerless glove with metal knuckles attached.

But around the trim, as well as the interior of her coat were golden floral embroidery accenting against the dark shades of the rest of her cloth.

That drew the attention of people towards her black waist-coat with the same golden floral print over it, accenting her bold yellow blouse underneath, which had about one too many buttons undone.

And to tie it all off, she had a vivid tangerine ascot snugly wrapped around her neck.

 

But below her coat and torso were matte dark brown trousers with holsters carrying uncomfortably big pistols, with support straps leading from the holsters to her large belt that was wrapped around her waist.

Leading one’s eye down towards her steel-toed, knee-high boots with armored padding on her kneecaps.

 

As for weapons, Yang preferred a more brutal way of doing things. On her thighs were two large pistols, which looked suspiciously like Ebony and Ivory from Devil May Cry, that Yang called Ember and Celica, but her’s had chrome plating with golden Victorian gothic etching over the reflective surface, with black padding on the handles.

She had another set of large pistols inside her coat, because ‘reloading was stupid,’ according to her.

The cool thing about these guns were that they had specialized ammo, which loaded itself upon Yang’s verbal command.

And when she needed to fight hand to hand, she carried a pair of fancy golden brass knuckles in her jacket.

 

(Listening to **Icarus-Main Theme, Deus Ex: Human Revolution Soundtrack** )

 

“Ready to go?” the blonde asked.

 

Ruby nodded in confirmation, turning around as her sister joined by her side.

 

The area around them suddenly began to pulse and ripple, slowly growing more powerful and violent.

 

“It all started with an idea,” a disembodied male voice started, “A small spark inside the head of a man named Monyreak ‘Monty’ Oum.”

 

The waves were crashing into each other, slowly rising as several diamonds halted in place, beginning to form shapes.

 

“The idea of a world connected through bond and companionship, with the help of a wireless connection,” the voice continued, “Through the sheer genius of Mister Oum, he helped create the world’s largest and most expansive entertainment system known to man. By giving the player a choice to carve their own path with the skills they learn within the game.”

“Mister Oum wanted give the player a choice among seven classes, each holding their own unique powers and abilities. The player could learn with the skill of a Warrior, the power of a Tank, the intellect of a Faunus, the firepower of a Gunslinger, the stealth of a Thief, the might of a Mage, and the ingenuity of a Hunter.”

“And each class holds their own individual types, allowing the player to choose freely over their desired skills.”

 

The ripples slammed into each other as more and more diamonds stuck together, forming shapes like houses and trees. Some of the diamonds were moving freely, limbs and torsos slowly coming together among the chaos around the sisters.

 

“In a tragic turn of events, Mister Oum passed away. In honor of their fallen friend, Miles Luna and Kerry Shawcross continued his work, creating the open-world adventure that is about to set before you.”

 

The shapes clashed together more violently, refining the shapes they formed into glossy black tall buildings and towering trees.

 

“Genesis Entertainment kindly welcomes you…”

 

Color splashed across the scene, filling the siblings’ view with the vibrant colors of a cityscape, accented by masses of players with individual styles and ethnicities.

 

“… To the world of Remnant.”

 

The girls stepped forward, taking and breathing in every detail with entertaining awe.

The sights, the smells.

It all felt real.

It was _made_ real by the most wonderful man on Earth.

 

“More like welcome home,” Yang commented, “Let’s get going. The others are probably waiting for us.”

Ruby turned to her sister and smiled.

 

“With pleasure.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took way too long to do.  
> I went back over it three times because I kept over-explaining some things and I still feel like something is missing.  
> Let me know if you guys figure it out.  
> But nonetheless, I hope you enjoy the story!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A team to stand by...

Ruby leaned against the sill of a viewing window on a humongous transport ship, checking her stats and skills as the floating monolithic vehicle moseyed through the dense fog of clouds, giving the space a shaded but bright aura.

The girl’s fingers danced along the white outline of a screen and keyboard with a skill tree displayed, having four black diamonds floating in a rhombus shape as they held up the screen.

 

The girl absolutely loved that the classes had their own unique types. It added a layer to a sense of individuality.

 

Ruby herself was a Level 17 Hunter Class, and her type was Scout.

The Scout Type was essentially an all-around skill set.

Moderate health, damage, power, and all of that fun stuff, which was increased automatically as you leveled up.

Now, each type had a different ability that came with it, like a superpower.

As a Scout, her’s was Haste. But to an ordinary person, it was just superspeed. With that combined with The Crescent Rose weapon, she was definitely a force to be feared.

 

Yang was a Level 16 Gunslinger Class; her Type was Brute.

Brute’s dealt tons of damage, but with moderate health and power.

Her Type ability was called ‘Berserk,’ which allowed Yang to absorb any damage done to her body and use it to boost her strength.

 

Unknown to most, these sisters were a part of a team with two others.

 

First, there was **Ice-Queen2.0**.

This girl was uncomfortably slender for her age, but nonetheless beautiful beyond compare.

Snow-white hair braided into a bun with piercing ice-blue eyes.

Ruby really liked how she let her bangs sweep to the right, showcasing a crooked scar running down her left eye, emanating an aura of confidence.

Her outfit looked spectacular as well; a pure white tailcoat with rows of black lace frills on the outside parts of her wrists, running a third of the way up the outside of her forearms, drawing the eye towards her black fitted fingerless gloves. To enunciate a sense of superiority, she had the collar and lapel of the coat flipped up.

On the inside, she wore a snow-white fancy dress shirt, with a bold rich blue ascot wrapped around the collar, quickly disappearing into the folds of a black waistcoat with Gothic Victorian embroidery, bearing the same vibrant aqua hue of her ascot.

The waistcoat blended easily into her midnight dark pants with her thigh-high black heeled boots, making her look like someone of high stature and maturity.

 

Ice-Queen2.0 was a Level 16 Warrior Class; her Type being Musketeer, which meant her favored choice in weaponry was a rapier with a sidearm of a revolver pistol.

Her Type ability was Glyphs, allowing her to summon ornately styled circular symbols to use as tangible surfaces or for elemental purposes.

Her weapon was slightly deceiving though, known as the weapon item, Myrtenaster.

It was shaped almost like a blown-up version of a needle, having only a round circumference, rather than a flat width. The silver blade met the black padded handle at the smooth crest, which looked like a metal ring with ten little diamond-shaped notches placed on it, as the black handle then gracefully transitioned into a bell-shaped pommel.

The blade itself had a special ability as well, which allowed it to slowly freeze whatever it touched.

 

To say the least, Ruby was head-over-heels in love with this girl.

She was nice, polite, and considerate. And that completely threw both of the sisters through a loop, since her style in fashion said egotistical, up-tight, and snobby.

Ruby just really hoped she wasn’t a guy in real life, because apparently even in this game, you could still choose which gender you were.

It would just break her heart if her secret crush was some greasy guy living in his parent’s basement.

 

The other teammate was **NekoNinja98**.

She was surprisingly normal for her age, if you took away the whole edgy part.

Long, flowing black hair accenting amazingly with her golden yellow eyes and dark cat ears on the top of her head, joined by a deep, soothing purple hue of eyeshadow.

Her costume consisted of a slim, black trench-coat with an asymmetrical cut on the flaps, reaching only a third of the way down her left thigh and stretching down three quarters of the way on her right thigh. And over the cuff of her left sleeve was a matte-black armored vambrace, carrying a singular hidden blade; that signified she had obtained the Assassin’s Creed extension pack as well.

To accent the dark exterior, the interior of the coat was shaded with the same smooth violet hue as her eyeshadow.

Underneath, she wore a black jacket with an asymmetrical zipper, with a bright white interior with a rich purple cloth wrapped around her neck, but was tucked neatly within the flipped-up collars of both of her coats. And over her left hands was a black fitted glove with another dark fingerless glove, leaving her right hand to only a single layer of another open-fingered glove.

That drew attention to her legs, which were covered with matte black form fitting pants. Her knees were padded in the same color armor, but from there down was layered with a matte black gel with deep violet accents lining down the sides, leaving straps to curl underneath the arches of her boots.

 

NekoNinja98 was a Level 16 Faunus; her Type being Ninja (obviously).

Her Type ability was Shadow Clone, meaning she could create an exact image of herself to distract her opponents.

Her weapon, The Gambol Shroud, was a bit peculiar. It was a black katana blade with a pistol integrated into the hilt, with a long strand of black ribbon hanging from the pommel, so whenever she put her weapon away, it made her look like she had a tail.

Not to mention the sheathe itself could be used as a weapon.

 

Yang had her sights set on this one, calling her for herself.

Seriously. Yang literally called dibs on this girl.

 

But together, they formed the team known as RWBY, in which the title came to be due to their color schemes.

 

Just then, a notification popped up on Ruby’s screen.

Someone was calling her, or at least, face-timing.

Rose calmly pressed the respond button.

 

A normal rectangular screen popped into existence and Pyrrha’s face flickered into view from the real world.

 

“Hello!” the red-head greeted, waving kindly to the girl.

“Hi, what’s up?” Ruby replied.

“My new prosthetic arrived today,” the young woman chipperly said, “Came with a headpiece too.”

 

Ruby smiled in accordance, remembering certain memories that she really wanted to forget.

 

A few years ago, Pyrrha had gotten into a car crash on the freeway.

Some idiot thought it would be okay to drive while he was buzzed. The car swerved at hit Nikos’, causing the car to flip over and crush her right leg.

By the time she had made it to the emergency room, the medical team regretfully told her that her leg was beyond repair, and they had to amputate.

 

That left the rising athlete with a right knee-cap with nothing below it.

 

But, unsurprisingly, that didn’t stop her from being one of the best fighters in the school. She managed to honestly get her hands on an athletic carbon fiber transtibial prosthetic with a spring-coil joint attached to a curved strip of rounded metal, with a small circular pad for grip.

Coming back to reality, Ruby watched as her friend lifted up a pearly white leg, which had a sleek and flowing design for the frame, but it retained a human form, with a large gap showcasing black, muscle-like fibers on the inside.

It looked very human, to the point it had toes.

 

Nikos then lifted up the headpiece, which looked like an angular golden diadem, like some kind of tiara.

 

“Oh, shoot,” Pyrrha huffed, “I’m sorry to cut this short, but there’s something I need to do really soon. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See ya tomorrow,” Ruby responded, waving goodbye as both screens disappeared.

 

“Yo, look at that,” Yang said, rapidly tapping her sister’s shoulder.

 

(Listening to **Recognizer, TRON: Legacy Soundtrack** )

 

Ruby quickly turned around, leaning her head closer to the clear glass to get a better view.

 

A gargantuan chunk of rock hovered in the air, like a huge portion of a mountain had been ripped from the ground and had frozen in midair.

Unseen by Ruby’s eyes, on the inside was a large circular stadium with rows upon rows of seats surrounding the arena.

The stadium itself had a black glossy floor with a white lined diamond-patterned grid etched in. Whenever there were multiple matches, clear glass-like material confined certain players to their opponents.

Each victory brought one closer to a match with the Arena’s Champion, in which if one were to win, would be allowed to compete for a chance to face off against the Champions of Genesis.

 

Ruby hopped in place with building excitement as she spotted more and more ships going to the same stadium, carrying dozens upon dozens of other skilled players aboard.

The ship grew closer to the stadium, showing off just how monolithic the Arena was in scale.

 

"For all those standing," a male voice said over the intercom, "Please make sure to secure yourself as not to induce nausea."

 

Yang joined Ruby as she leaned against the viewing port, crossing her arms as she waited impatiently.

There was a loud clang as the ship shook, causing the sisters to sway a little, handling the wave of sickness like the seasoned players that they were.

 

“Okay,” Yang said, “I only have one thing to say.”

“What what what what?” Ruby speedily questioned.

 

“LET’S GET READY TO RUUMMBBBLLLLLLLLLLLLEEEE!!!!!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this is really short, didn't have a lot of time to go into specifics.  
> But I'm pretty sure you know who's who by the gamer-tags.  
> But hey, I don't really have any schoolwork left to do!  
> Is this what it feels like to be caught up?


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 3 years can truly make a difference...

_3 years ago…_

 

**Create Account**

**Username? ____________**

**Password? _____________**

**Confirm Password: _______________**

 

Why was Weiss doing this again?

Was it out of curiosity or was it because her sister said she found it enjoyable?

Whatever.

 

 **Username?** Ice-Queen2.0

 **Password?** ************

 **Confirm Password:** ************

 

Weiss pressed the enter key, causing another pop-up window to… well, pop up.

 

**Congratulations!**

**You are now an official player in the Genesis System!**

**Please put on your Genesis Visor to begin your adventure!**

 

Lame.

But whatever this game was managed to pique Winter’s interest, so it had to be good.

The white-haired girl snatched up the visor half-heartedly, and before she put it on, she noticed on the inside was a notification telling her to get into a comfortable spot.

Schnee accordingly made her way over to her bed, plopping her head onto her plush pillow before finally putting the visor on.

 

Why was everything black?

Was this thing even on?

 

Just then, her room flickered into view, showing a familiar setting.

 

Was something supposed to happen here?

 

As if in response, every edge of her room was outlined in white lines. Then, every surface was crisscrossed with a diamond-shaped grid pattern.

Weiss went to stand up, but when she did, she felt as if she was moving, but wasn’t at the same time.

Whatever this feeling was, it was nauseating.

She raised her hands to her head in attempts to balance herself. She expected her hands to hit the visor, but she didn’t.

She couldn’t feel the visor at all.

 

Weiss turned to look for it when the room suddenly started to turn black, as if every inch had been coated in a dark, glossy layer.

 

Suddenly, everything shattered into hundreds of diamond-shaped shards, all of them barreling down on her.

The girl instantly flinched, raising her arms over the back of her head, shielding her skull. In reaction, she quickly shut her eyes.

But, she didn’t feel anything fall on her.

Weiss opened her eyes and slowly lowered her arms, gradually looking up to new surroundings.

 

(Listening to **Main Menu Theme, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Soundtrack** )

 

The entire ground was flat, like an endless plain of faintly rippling waves of glossy black diamonds. And several of those diamonds were floating midair, like some invisible force was holding them in place.

Schnee looked up farther and it almost hurt her eyes. The sky was pure white, like something one would see on an untouched field of freshly fallen snow.

It made her eyes ache just staring at the sharp contrast between the bright white sky and the pitch-black ground.

 

“Choose your Appearance,” a disembodied male voice announced.

Just then, the ground rippled and splashed together, forming three shapes like bodies.

One had the male symbol on it’s chest, glowing white like the sky it stood under. The other had the female symbol, while the final had the two symbols combined.

 

Seriously? In a game like this, people could still troll other players into thinking they were the other sex?

Well, if she was going to do this, she was going to do it her way.

Weiss hesitantly tapped the female symbol with her index finger. The symbol pulsed brightly before it and the other forms suddenly shattered, falling into the ground with moderate ripples, like someone had dumped a bucket of water into a pool.

 

“Choose your Class,” the male voice followed up.

In response, seven female-shaped forms rose from the black shards.

The first was holding a sword in front of them; the second had a hammer, the third had cat ears, the fourth had a pair of guns, the fifth held a dagger, the sixth with a staff, and the seventh had a hood over its head.

Weiss’ sister suggested to her that she should be a Warrior, simply because there was a some ‘Type’ thing in it that would suit her well.

Schnee poked the form with the sword, watching the other forms drop as they were quickly replaced with four other silhouettes.

 

“Choose your Type,” the male voice announced.

As she scanned the four forms, she looked down to see there were nameplates below each form.

They read as Knight, Spartan, Monk, and Musketeer.

Now Weiss knew what her sister meant, since both of them were incredibly proficient in fencing and swordplay.

 

Schnee jabbed the fourth silhouette with her finger, spotting the other three forms collapse from out of her peripheral vision, leaving the Musketeer form to demonstrate.

 

“Musketeer,” the male voice explained, “The very definition of swift, deadly, and precise. In game, Musketeers have the ability to summon Glyphs, which are symbols that can be used through a variety of mediums. In history, the Musketeers were known as rifleman for the royal infantry, showing great skill as a marksman and swordsman. Which would you prefer?”

Just then, the form moved as it slung out a long-barreled rifle, kneeling down as it aimed down the sights of the gun.

Then, another form rose from the ground. As it finished refining into a solid shape, it pulled out a thin blade from its hip, expertly twirling the weapon around before striking a formal pose, with one hand placed behind its back as it stood perfectly straight.

 

Weiss pressed the form with the sword.

But rather than falling apart, the form shattered into diamonds and suddenly swarmed over the girl’s body, making her release a quick yelp of surprise and shock.

The shards spiraled around her limbs and torso, clicking together with tiny clinking sounds, like ice pellets knocking into each other.

 

Schnee watched as the precise shapes swiftly shrank in size, almost looking as if they were melting into her clothes.

No, they were changing her clothes.

As the last shard vanished, Weiss looked down at her new outfit.

It was simple, to say the least; a cropped bolero coat with bell sleeves, with a dress underneath with a strip of fine cloth wrapped around her waist that smoothly flowed into a length that reached over her kneecaps, bearing knee-high wedged heeled boots.

But as of right now, it was bland. Her outfit quite literally had no color, leaving her with a mundane looking grey.

 

“Choose your Theme,” the male voice announced, displaying several individually named color schemes in front of the girl.

Most of these sounded absurd as she compared them to herself.

But there was one name that caught her attention, well enough that she picked it almost immediately.

 

Frost.

 

Weiss’ outfit rippled with waves of diamonds, watching the grey color seamlessly transition into splashes of pure white, pale but vibrant blue, and with a finish of dark black.

 

“Please, open the beginner’s chest,” the male voice politely commanded, “Do take note that the chest has a randomized system, which means you will be stuck with what you are given until you level up more.”

Just then, the ground generated a glossy black chest, making the girl pause for a brief moment.

Out of curiosity, Weiss lightly kicked it, jumping slightly as the lid suddenly flew open.

Black diamonds sprung from the chest, quickly forming a thin, but ornately designed rapier of some kind.

Hovering over the blade was its name and rarity.

 

Myrtenaster, a legendary weapon.

 

Beginner’s luck, maybe?

 

( **End Music** )

 

Just then, the ground pulsed and rippled, quickly escalating to stormy waves.

“On behalf of Mister Monyreak ‘Monty’ Oum and Genesis Entertainment,” the male voice said, “Welcome to Remnant.”

 

The waves suddenly lunged over Weiss, crashing down on her with such sudden movements. It wasn’t long before she was completely swallowed up, leaving her in an endless plain of darkness.

She couldn’t see, not even to tell which way is up.

Her feet then slowly lifted off the ground, her arms raising slightly by some unknown force.

 

Weiss felt as if she were floating, as if she were as light as a feather in an infinite void.

 

(Listening to **Alone in the World, Rise of the Guardians Soundtrack** )

 

That light feeling was then accompanied by a sense of rising, like she was gradually drifting up to an unseen sky.

Then, there was a light. It was faint and pale, but it kept growing brighter and brighter.

Weiss squinted her eyes, trying to force them to adjust. The increasing aura seemed blurry and obscured, until movement from the side of her gaze caught her attention.

An air bubble?

Wait, was she underwater?!

 

Just then, she heard a sound, like something cracking.

 

The layer of ice split, echoing in the empty space of the surrounding frozen and snow-covered woods. The cracks enlarged, creating small separated disks of cold matter.

Weiss rose from beneath the shifting ice, and she kept rising as she let out a breath, not realizing she was holding it in.

Her breath instantly froze as it met the chilled air, forming a puff of mist near her mouth.

 

She carefully positioned herself as she slowly descended, watching the cut out in the ice quickly disappearing with ripples of pale blue energy.

Her heels gently tapped onto the ice, keeping her arms out to balance herself.

To her surprise, the ice had frozen over completely again, making it look like what she experienced had never happened.

And on top of that, her clothes weren’t wet at all. In fact, she wasn’t even cold, even with the thin layer of her gown.

 

Weiss looked around, scanning the area of white-blanketed terrain.

No one was here.

 

She took a step forward, her foot slipping slightly as she moved. She couldn’t help but let out a huff of laughter as she quickly regained her posture effortlessly.

She continued to look around as she carefully took a few more steps, breathless with awe by the attention to detail.

Then, her foot tapped into something solid, but it wasn’t the ice.

 

Weiss snapped her head down, noticing her foot had hit the rapier she was given.

What was it called again?

Myrtel… No, Myrtenaster.

 

The girl knelt down, eyeing the smooth silver blade as she tenderly picked it up.

Suddenly, a blue aura flashed around the weapon, causing her to raise an arm to protect her face.

The tip of blade bounced onto the ice, which was quickly followed up by a crackling sound.

 

Weiss lowered her arm, turning her attention towards the area the blade hit.

A layer of elaborately designed frost slowly spread across the surface of the ice.

The girl returned her gaze to the weapon she held, eyes wide with amazement.

 

Mere seconds later, Weiss tapped the tip of blade against the trunk of a bare tree.

The instant the metal touched, shiny white frost snaked across the wood, covering the bark in a wintery design.

A faint grin of enthusiasm crept over Schnee’s face as she turned to the tree on her other side.

Tapping the bark with the blade, she watched as the icy magic spread over the brown surface.

 

Weiss couldn’t help but giggle and faintly hop in place, smiling from ear to ear.

She suddenly turned and dashed across the frozen pond, dragging the tip of her sword over the surface as she ran.

The crackle of frost boomed throughout the area as Weiss swiped the blade over the ice with chilling power, her feet slipping but keeping her balance.

Dashing forward once more, Schnee twirled as she slid on the slippery ground, tracing her sword in spirals as more frost spread across the pond, the sound of her laughter joining the awe-inspiring crackle of icy wonder.

 

Weiss bolted off the pond, smile as wide as it could be as she brushed her weapon against tree after tree as the shimmering ice coated over the wooden bark.

The girl drove her blade into the snow and flung it upwards, the wind picking up as she approached a cliff-side.

The snow whipped and swirled in beautiful patterns, Weiss’ eyes attempting to capture every detail as she started to awkwardly run backwards.

 

Out of nowhere, her foot slipped of the edge of the cliff-side, causing her to flail her arms as she desperately attempted to regain her balance.

 

She did not.

 

But rather than falling, her feet landed back onto a flat surface. She looked down and to her surprise, she was standing on top of a large circular symbol, which almost looked like a snowflake.

For a brief moment, she giggled.

But then, the glyph vanished, and Weiss plummeted down into the forest below.

 

She let out a yelp as she fell, releasing grunts of pain as she hit large branches on her way down.

After one final branch, Weiss’ torso bounced off as she barreled down onto…

 

… Red?

 

With solid thud, the girl toppled over the scarlet object, feeling the impact in her chest as the strange form collapsed with her.

 

( **End Music** )

 

Weiss groaned as she raised herself up, rubbing her side as the red form shifted.

 

“Ouuuuch,” it said with cute squeaky voice, “Did anyone get the license plate on that boulder?”

The form turned over to reveal itself to be a girl, appearing no older than fourteen with a red hooded cape, black coat, pants, and boots. The small girl rubbed her head as it drew Weiss’ attention to her black with red highlights fairy-cut hair.

 

Whoever she was, she was incredibly cute.

Cute enough to make Schnee blush a little, bringing her to an epiphany she didn’t know she would experience.

 

Was she gay?

 

“I’m so sorry,” Weiss apologized, hurrying over to the girl to help as she tried to conceal her rosy cheeks, “I—I just… then I fell and—and--.”

“It’s okay,” the small girl returned politely, accepting Schnee’s assistance, “I’m not mad. You couldn’t help it.”

“I’m still terribly sorry,” Weiss replied, hoisting the stranger up to her feet, “I guess I got caught up in the moment.”

“Oh, so you just started?” the girl chirped, “Then welcome to Remnant, where everything is either incredibly awesome or dangerous with no in between.”

Weiss giggled in response, and as she took another gaze at the girl, she noticed a line of text hovering over her head.

“RedRose-47?” Schnee queried.

“You can just call me Rose,” the cloaked girl responded, “And might I ask what your gamer tag is?”

 

“I’m Wei--,” Schnee cut herself off, remembering that this game was online.

If she told people who she really was, it would either drive them away or it could lead to some very… unsavory encounters.

“Ice-Queen2.0,” Weiss finished.

“Nice to meet you, Ice-Queen2.0,” Rose greeted, raising her hand to shake.

Weiss graciously accepted the girl’s gesture, returning the shake with a smile.

“Something tells me you and I are going to be great friends,” Rose smiled.

 

Even after three years, the two bonded stupendously.

Weiss stared at the ground in the arena hall, contemplating the past years of friendship as her other friend, NekoNinja98, stood next to her.

Both of their backs were pressed against the wall, waiting for the two sisters to join them.

 

Weiss never really had friends, no matter how she looked at it.

Upon first glance, a lot of people just assumed that she was too rich or superior to them, which often drove people away.

Not only that, people just assumed she was some stuck-up rich kid, and they treated her like trash for it.

It baffled Weiss that just one kind person, a single individual to show her even a little compassion, could turn into a relationship she could only dream of having in the real world.

 

‘ _I swear to God_ ,’ Schnee said in her head, ‘ _If I find this girl in real life, I’m going to treat her like the flawless gem she is_.’

 

Just then, Ninja tapped her shoulder and pointed towards the entrance.

“They’re here,” the black-haired Faunus said, resulting in the two propping themselves back up.

 

“Heeeeeyy, Ice Queen,” Fireballin’69 greeted with a humorous smile, “Back at it again with the cold stare.”

Weiss creased her brow in confusion, “Was that a pun?”

“I dunno,” the blonde shrugged.

“We’re sorry,” Rose apologized, “I kinda got caught up with homework, dinner, and the software update.”

“You do realize I couldn’t ever be mad at you, right?” Weiss chuckled.

“Hey, what about me?” Fireballin’ pestered.

“With you, definitely,” Schnee addressed without breaking her gaze away from Rose.

“Awww, you’re no fun,” the blonde whined.

 

“I don’t want to be _that_ person,” Ninja interjected, “But the matches are about to start.”

“You’re cute when you worry,” Fireballin’ complimented.

 

“Well then let’s go!” Rose ushered, “We have some fights to win!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I do the cute right? Is there ample amounts of heart-warming fluff and other adorable things?  
> Because honestly, I kinda wing the whole emotional parts and I'm really paranoid that I'm not doing it right.  
> Besides that, you guys will either hate me or laugh at what I have planned for WhiteRose.  
> And also, yes, I did pull inspiration for Weiss' avatar introduction from Rise of the Guardians, which is a movie I would very heavily recommend.
> 
> Love you guys!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm tellin' y'all it's sabotage!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally!  
> I can't apologize enough to you guys, but this took way too long to do.  
> I promise I'll keep going for you all.

* * *

(Listening to **Armory, TRON: Legacy Soundtrack** )

 

Ruby sat patiently in the waiting room, which led to the arena.

At the very end of the small room was a bump in the wall, and by bump, it was more of half a silo shape that would disintegrate when the fighting stages were prepared.

The girl nervously tapped her foot, worrying if she would win her fights.

Well, she wasn’t actually worried about winning all of her fights, she was worried about what would happen after if she did. And she had every reason to be anxious.

 

This Arena had two Champions, and one was named AndroidGirl-1.

Even Ruby could tell that was her friend, Penny.

The hair gave it away.

 

Penny wasn’t the one Ruby was afraid of; it was the other Champion that scared her senseless.

 

**Achilles16.**

 

A female Level 21 Warrior, Type: Spartan.

This woman was the very definition of unbeatable.

To put it in perspective, an Arena Champion was capable of ascending to compete in the Beacon Games, but they had to win a maximum of five-hundred rounds to advance.

Achilles16 had four-hundred and ninety-nine wins in total.

 

With no losses.

 

That wasn’t the only thing that scared Ruby, and it was because of her outfit, weapons, and Type Ability.

 

For one, Achilles16 always wore a Corinthian style helmet, which had a bronze-like main color with golden trim around the edges, with a crest that was a bit odd-looking.

The metal crest ran across the upper back of the helmet, curving down from the base of her head and then up into a point that measured about two or three inches from the nearest point on the owner’s skull.

And to top off just the helmet, underneath the facial guard was a matte black shell that completely concealed the player’s face, leaving a fearsome look as the eye slots housed a pair of terrifying glowing golden eyes.

Onto the rest of her outfit, Achilles16 had a dark umber brown fitted leathery shirt that was a bit peculiar. She had a short sleeve over her left shoulder but was sleeveless on her right, and on her left shoulder was leather padding of the same color, which seamlessly covered over her chest with an odd-looking rounded diagonal tear-drop shape over her torso and shoulder.

But that was only covered by the almost heart-shaped chest armor she wore, which was the exact same metallic brown color with the same golden trim as her helmet.

Not to mention her sleeved shoulder, which bore the same shaped armor but instead wrapped around her joint snugly. The shoulder armor, however, had a small scarlet red cape hanging from it, which really wasn’t a cape since the end flowed into the open area between her armor plating over both of her shoulder blades, so it rested gently over the upper part of her spine.

Next were her arms, in which her left arm had a dark brown fitted leather glove that stretched all the way to her elbow, which had an elbow guard with the same shape and color as her chest-plate, with tear-drop-shaped metal shells over the knuckles of her left hand.

However, on her right arm was a glove of the same material, but it ran all the way up to her armpit. And over the top of her arm was a row of small heart-shaped bronze guards that smoothly directed the attention towards her right hand, which had plating over the back of her hand, over her knuckles and over her fingers. And on her right shoulder was an even larger shoulder guard, which was fastened with a pair of buckles leading to her chest plate.

Around her waist was a knee-length scarlet sash that hung over her right knee, which was covered by a spear-like emblem (disc?) that rested over her right hip, held up by a single black belt. The sash itself led the eye down to her legs, in which the backs of her thighs were covered by an acutely V-shaped tail, like what one would see on a coat.

The exposed parts of her thighs were covered in the same dark brown leather as her shirt and gloves, but with smooth bronze armor plating that conformed around her lower front and smoothly up to the upper outsides of her thighs. That led to her knees, which were covered with the same heart-shaped bronze plating, which were connected to the same color shin-guards that wrapped completely around her calves with elegant golden trim.

On her feet, one could tell she was wearing heeled boots, finishing off her look with bronze plating around her toes, on the heel, and had oval-ish shaped plating over the tops of her feet.

 

Her outfit was so elaborate, even Ruby knew it would take, at least, eleven paragraphs to explain, give or take a few.

_*Seriously, I couldn’t make it any simpler than that, and I’ve been good at writing this today, for some reason*_

As for her weapons, she had a blade she called Mílo, which had the ability to change from a xiphos to a javelin or bolt-action rifle. The blade itself had a scarlet red inner color scheme and was outlined with golden edges all around the weapon, save for a small golden orb in the middle of its circular crest.

And for her own defense, she had a shield named Akoúo̱. The shield itself had a circular shape with half-circles cut out on opposite sides of the metal, which was finished with a golden metallic hue. It was well-known for being thrown to stun an enemy then immediately drawn back to the wielder.

Her Type Ability was called Polarity, meaning she had the power to affect the polarity in metallic objects. But if Ruby had to dumb it down, it basically meant she could control metal, which also meant she could control every weapon in the game.

There was one thing though. Achilles16 never really used her Ability, simply because she hasn’t had any need to use it.

This woman has literally gotten this far using only her skill.

 

( **End Music** )

 

Ruby shuddered in fear, trying to snap herself out of her jitters.

Well, there was the chance that she would face off against Penny, not that she had anything against the poor girl.

It’s just that Penny was infinitely less scary than Achilles16.

 

The room was then filled with the sound of a chime, letting her know the arena was ready.

Just as Ruby stood up, the half-silo rippled with the same diamonds she’s seen every time, which then folded into themselves, revealing a small circular platform that emanated white light.

Rose stepped into the enclosed tube, her boots thumping against the white pad like it was metal.

As soon as both feet were on the platform, the opening to the room rippled once more and closed, leaving her in a black void as she stood confidently on a glowing white disc.

 

No going back now.

 

(Listening to **Arena, TRON: Legacy Soundtrack** )

 

For a second, it was only her in the endless black.

 

Suddenly, her platform brightened abruptly.

Then, another platform to her right lit up, showing Yang standing on hers.

Another lit up with Ice-Queen2.0.

Another with NekoNinja98.

And then, several more platforms burst with light quickly in a counter-clockwise direction, displaying the contestants to one another.

Just then, the platforms began to rise up, making Ruby bend her knees slightly before straightening them again.

 

A circular opening slid open, and a muffled sound came with the parting.

The sound grew louder as Ruby rose closer to the opening, becoming clearer as she approached.

Just as her head surfaced, the sound became crystal clear, as her ears were suddenly bombarded by the roar of a cheering crowd.

 

Ruby looked around in awe.

The stadium was packed, like completely packed.

People were even sitting on the rafters on the top just to have a view.

 

Ruby had never seen so many people in one place.

 

Her platform suddenly jolted to a stop as her feet had completely risen from the depths.

 

( **End Music** )

 

“Ladies and gentlemen!” a male announcer boomed over the speakers, “Welcome to the Vale Arena! I’m your host BM-Port41! And with me is my friend and co-host, Oobleck-065!”

“Thank you, BM-Port41!” Oobleck very quickly said, “And today, we bring you sixty-four amazingly skilled players whom will fight each other to advance to the Trials, where even then will they face greater and more powerful foes than in this Arena!”

“Wouldn’t you say that today is a fine day for a battle?” Port asked.

“I couldn’t agree more!” Oobleck added, “But which of these sixty-four individuals will be strong enough to face off against our Champions? And even then, whom will they face? The sweet spirit of AndroidGirl-1?”

 

The crowd cheered supportively, even a fool could tell that everyone was fully invested in the warriors.

 

“Or will they face off against the sheer might?” Oobleck continued, “The unbridled skill? The honest-to-God army-of-one?”

“Achilles16!”

 

The crowd absolutely lost it the second they heard that name.

The screams and adrenaline-driven shouts nearly deafening Ruby as she forced herself to play it cool, even though her eardrums probably ruptured by now.

 

Ruby pulled up a menu, four black diamonds forming the display as she scrolled through it. She was looking for a certain audio file.

“There it is,” the girl murmured to herself as she pressed the file with her index finger.

 

(Listening to **Sabotage, The Beastie Boys** )

 

“We will find out in this battle for the rights of advancement!” Port announced, “Contestants! Draw your weapons!”

 

Ruby smoothly whipped out the scarlet slab attached to her hip, letting the dangerous weapon unfurl in her hand as she expertly twirled the humongous scythe around herself, ramming the tip of the blade into the ground behind her.

Yang slung out her golden pistols, leaving her index fingers in the triggers, smoothly spinning them in her hands before catching the handles.

Weiss swiftly drew her rapier, the blade itself leaving a glowing pale blue trail of chilling energy as she twirled the weapon around, finishing off with the blade pointing in front of her with her other hand behind her back.

Blake pulled out the actual blade to her Gambol Shroud, seamlessly raising her other arm over her back as she grabbed the sheathe, holding it in a reverse grip as she lowered her stance, putting her in a ferocious looking pose.

 

“Match set!” Oobleck bellowed.

 

The Arena floor shifted as sections of the ground glided across the area, pulling half of the players towards the middle.

With a quick rotation, the sixteen near the middle faced their opponents.

 

“Fight!” Port and Oobleck shouted.

 

Ruby’s opponent unleashed an onslaught of bullets from his submachine gun, the spontaneous flashes filling the cage.

With a sudden gust of wind and rose petals, Ruby’s position shifted in flashes within the span of seconds, dodging every bullet that whizzed by her body.

Scarlet hued ripples of air traced behind the girl as she dashed towards her opponent, sparks of ricochets dancing around her feet as the still air ripped at her skin.

The red-caped girl launched herself upwards, causing her shadow to blanket her opponent as she raised her enormous scythe behind her. The boy opposing her reacted swiftly, throwing aside his firearms and pulling out a pair of sickle swords.

 

Ruby lobbed her scythe blade at her opponent, the sound of metal grinding against metal filling the air as bright yellow embers sprung from the collision.

Just as the girl’s feet touched the ground, the two twirled around as they did the same with their weapons.

Sparks flew from their blades, spinning and swinging the metal with grace and swiftness, like metal tops ramming into each other with tremendous force and speed.

The boy opposing Ruby suddenly slung his blades around, catching the girl’s scythe as the curved blades crossed over each other.

The boy briefly smirked, but the proud expression quickly dropped, remembering what kind of weapon he was facing off against.

He looked down at his chest, the barrel of the rifle mere inches from his chest.

 

Ruby cocked a grin as she pulled back the bolt hammer, pulling the trigger as soon as the high caliber round was loaded.

The bullet buried itself into the opponent’s chest, bursting out through his back as his avatar accordingly began to fracture and break.

The player fell to the ground limp, his virtual body shattering into the same tiny diamonds as before, listening to the sound of ice cracking in the air which was followed by the noise of hundreds of ice pellets falling on glass.

 

“And an amazingly handled victory for RedRose-47!” Port announced, “And in time as well, as the lovely Ice-Queen2.0 stands victorious over Giga-14!”

 

Blake hurled her katana blade at her opponent, the black ribbon fluttering behind the weapon with her hand grasping the very end.

Before she could react, the opponent reflexed as the tip of the blade plunged into their shoulder and was suddenly lurched forward towards the black-clad girl.

A Shadow Clone launched from Blake, passing through the opponent like she was smoke, swiftly ripping the stuck blade out from the enemy’s shoulder.

Blake swung her deadly sheathe, striking the opponent in the jaw, forcing their head to whiplash back. The Clone smoothly ran around back to its original, wrapping the ribbon over the opponent’s upper back.

With perfect unison, the split-image Faunus yanked the enemy back up, thrusting their fists into the opposing girl’s face.

And with a graceful twirl, the black-clad girl’s image melted back into herself, grabbing her blade once more and plunged it into the opponent’s chest as she fell.

The enemy shattered into colored fragments the second she hit the floor, followed with the same breaking glass noise.

 

“Ohhhh! And NekoNinja98 wins with grace and swiftness!” Oobleck added, “Dare I say that Fireballin’69 is not too far behind!”

 

The crowd gasped with awe as a powerful orange and yellow glow erupted over them and quickly faded.

 

“And not a moment too soon with her victory!” Port exclaimed, “I must say that I have not seen that much fire before!”

“Quite possibly one of the most epic fights I’ve seen today!” Oobleck replied, “Those who could not see it would be very disappointed!”

 

Ruby watched her and the other victorious player’s gamer-tags slide forward on the match tree, as the thirty-two who lost were highlighted in red, staying still.

She pulled the bolt hammer to Crescent Rose again, the empty shell flying from the barrel before she rammed the bolt back forward.

 

Onto the next round.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think we all know who Achilles16 is...  
> Scratch that, of course you guys know.  
> But I'm still hyping her up.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And now, for the fight you've all been waiting for!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit, I'm not dead!  
> As a heads-up, I will be taking longer to post chapters.  
> Simply because I need to focus on school and finding a new job.  
> But besides that, I'll be starting another story soon. However, this one is an Original Work I'm going to call Wrath.  
> So, for those of you interested in somewhat offensive humor, lewd references, and all out awesomeness, be sure to check out my profile for updates.

The urban streets were dimly lit by the faint, sickly yellow glow of open bars, one specifically called The Crow Bar.

A couple of men leaned over a pool table, playing a game themselves.

While in the background, a jukebox with various colored lighting patterns played Mother’s Little Helper from The Rolling Stones.

Qrow sat on a red-cushioned stool, his elbows resting on the bar table with a light beer in one hand; with Ozpin sitting next to him with a non-alcoholic beer.

As they sat, they watched one of the three televisions hanging above, which had the Genesis Arena Competition playing live, specifically the one being held in Austin, Texas.

They watched as Ruby and Yang fought ferociously with wide smiles, which made the old uncle crook a discreet grin out of the corner of his mouth.

 

“They are truly remarkable fighters,” the headmaster commented in his smooth British accent.

“They really are,” Qrow muttered softly, taking a swig from the brown bottle.

“You and Mister Xiao Long have raised them well,” Ozpin added.

“Ah nah,” Branwen responded in his gravelly voice, “Tai raised ‘em to keep outta trouble. I taught ‘em how to get out of it.”

“Which does not surprise me in the least bit,” the grey-haired man replied, taking a drink of his own, “Any news on your sister?”

 

Qrow’s expression fell almost immediately.

Bringing up his sister brought back a slew of memories, most of them he wished he _couldn’t_ remember.

 

Back in his prime, Qrow was a Marine; and so was Taiyang. Along with his sister and his greatest friend, Summer, they made Fireteam STRQ.

Qrow himself was the rogue-ish ladies man, and everyone knew that. He specialized in mid-range assault weapons, and no one could come close to his interrogation skills.

There wasn’t much anyone could hide from him.

 

Taiyang was the gentle giant of the team, and he still is. He did well with close-range firearms and excelled in close-quarters-combat.

Strong or not, he was still a push-over.

 

Raven, Qrow’s twin sister, was the recluse and quiet type; and Qrow still couldn’t understand how Tai managed to win her heart.

Raven was the reconnaissance operative, and she was damn good at it too. If she or anyone else she deemed worthy needed to disappear fast, she was the person to go to.

All her weapons were small and always had a suppressor on the barrel.

 

And then there was their leader.

Summer Rose, Ruby’s mother.

She was young and acted naïve, but she was the best leader and friend Qrow ever had. She truly was one of a kind.

Not only that, she was gifted as a marksman. No one in the entire military force could outgun her on the range when she had a sniper rifle.

 

Together, they made the best but most infamous fireteams in the military.

But that all fell apart when Raven did the unthinkable, and then disappeared without a trace.

And as fate would have it, disaster then followed it.

 

Qrow shook his head, repressing his memories of the one he cared most for.

 

“Nothing yet,” Branwen responded.

“My apologies,” Ozpin prompted, “It wasn’t my intention to bring back buried thoughts.”

“Nah,” the old man brushed off, “You don’t need to apologize to me. If anyone should be doing that, it’s Raven.”

“But there is one thing that troubles me,” the headmaster resumed, “If she does come back…”

“Do you think they’ll be able to handle what follows?” he said as he nodded his head towards the television.

 

The old uncle then directed his attention to the screen, watching his nieces dance on the field.

 

“I hope they never have to.”

 

Ruby swung Crescent Rose up and to the left, moving the weapon like a paper-weight as the razor-sharp blade plummeted towards the ground. The metal pierced through the floor, causing the diamond-shaped section underneath her opponent to shatter like glass.

The opponent suddenly dropped, falling through the now missing floor.

The scream echoed through the stadium, quickly followed by the sound of splintering glass and the view of colored diamonds sprawling out.

 

“RedRose-47 takes the win!” Oobleck announced, swiftly consumed by the boisterous cheers of the crowd.

 

Ruby expertly twirled Crescent Rose around her body, striking a pose to please the audience.

As the people went nuts over her, she reminisced about what had happened.

Yang went down in the third round, losing to a very skilled marksman that somehow managed to surpass her aim.

NekoNinja98 stuck out in the fourth round, losing to a cyberpunk with machine-guns on his arms.

Ice-Queen2.0 lost in the fifth round, falling at the hands of the opponent Ruby just faced.

All of them were now sitting in a balcony above, watching with the rest of the crowd.

 

Now, it was just her. And next was the Champion round.

 

“And now, the moment you all have been waiting for,” Port boomed, the lights in the stadium dimming as spotlights aimed down at the Arena floor, “The Champion Final!”

 

The audience cheered in response, all of them sitting at the edges of their seats as they waited in anticipation.

“With great skill and might, RedRose-47 has advanced to the final round,” Oobleck followed, “And now she must use everything she can as she will face one of our two Champions!”

 

Just then, the arena shifted and slid into a wide open but enclosed box, looking like someone had taken a three-dimensional octagon and stretched it long ways. In the middle, a diamond-shaped glowing bounce pad swelled into reality while a pair of arrows, one filled in and the other blank, pointing opposite directions appeared on all the vertical walls of the box.

Ruby did notice that all the filled-in arrows were pointing straight down while all the blank ones were pointing up.

 

“Bring up the randomizer!” Port bellowed.

 

Just then, two holographic symbols blinked into existence in the middle of the arena; one was golden with a spear shape and the other was lime green with a jagged but sleek sword.

Suddenly, the two emblems started spinning around each other at a frightening speed.

 

“Please, not Achilles,” Ruby muttered under her breath, “Anything but Achilles.”

 

The crowd was growing impatient, a rising crescendo of a deep tone filling the air with tense excitement. Everyone watched as the symbols gradually slowed, some were even beginning to chant.

 

“Not Achilles,” Rose continued to murmur, “Not Achilles, not Achilles, not Achilles.”

“And our final Champion is….!”

 

A singular but rumbling gong vibrated the arena, like a clocktower bell had just been rung as the spinner stopped.

 

“Achilles16!”

 

The crowd lost their composure and went nuts. Their cheers and screams echoed several miles out back to the ground, booming with terrifying energy.

“Oh no,” Ruby whispered, a wave of dread washing over her.

The audience then began to chant the Spartan’s name; with unison, stomping twice before shouting her title.

 

(Listening to **Rinzler, Tron: Legacy Soundtrack** ) ***VOLUME WARNING***

 

The sound of a lift pad caught Rose’s attention, causing her to turn around.

The Spartan dramatically rose from beneath the floor, standing up straight with her shield and sword on her back, her fists clenched and her golden eyes glowing.

The crowd kept chanting her name, but their cries only became louder as the Champion rose from the ground.

 

Ruby dropped her head down and let out a sigh.

“I’m dead,” she muttered to herself.

 

Achilles16 then began to move, her arms rising as they made the crowds cheers grow even louder. With seamless and fluid motion, the Spartan somersaulted forward as she slung her shield off her back with her left arm and pulled the blade, all with one, singular move.

She suddenly dragged her blade off the edge of her shield, causing sparks to fly as she struck a fierce, warrior-like pose as she held her guard up and her weapon ready to strike, which made the audience boom louder and louder.

 

“I’m so very dead,” Ruby added.

 

“Match set!” Port announced.

 

Rose raised her gigantic scythe in front of her, the tip of the blade threatening to pierce the glass floor before her.

She had to give this her all, otherwise she and the others wouldn’t be able to advance to the Genesis Trials.

 

She had to win this.

 

“Fight!” Oobleck shouted.

 

Ruby pulled back Crescent Rose’s bolt hammer three times, causing three boisterous puffs of light and smoke to escape the barrel.

Achilles16 swung her leg out and hurled herself up, throwing her into a sideways spin. For a brief moment, everything went into slow-motion as two large bullets passed underneath her as she spun in the air, the other projectile bouncing off her shield with a burst of embers and sparks.

After another brief second of acrobatics, the Spartan fell to the ground, her foot and knee striking the ground with effortless grace.

As the warrior lifted her head, she quickly launched it backwards, arching her back as she dodged the razor-sharp blade of a scythe.

Ruby’s eyes widened in surprise, amazed by the sheer skill.

Even with her Speed, Achilles16 saw her coming a mile away.

 

The Spartan suddenly twirled around, remaining on her knee as she pivoted her body. Using the existing momentum, the masked warrior struck the Scout’s back with her shield, swiftly following up as she swung her Xiphos blade.

Ruby hastily spun around, swinging Crescent Rose at the Spartan.

The weapon sparked as they made contact. Continuing her twirl, Ruby swiftly pulled out her pistol, quickly aiming the firearm at her opponent.

Achilles16 expertly raised her shield in response, hearing the ring of several bullets bounce of the metal guard.

Using the chance, Ruby hurled her scythe at the warrior. With an awkward clunk, the large weapon batted the Spartan’s shield to the side.

Suddenly, the skilled woman spun her body with her shield, creating a fluid motion as she twirled back around with her guard raised up once more.

Before she even noticed, Ruby had already yanked back the bolt hammer and desperately squeezed the trigger.

The bullet careened towards the masked warrior with unbridled speed, slamming into the dome-shaped metal with enough force to send the Spartan flying back to the opposite side of the arena, where Ruby just was.

Achilles16’s boot heels screeched across the floor, coming to halt in a dramatic fashion.

 

The crowd roared with stupendous energy, the adrenaline building quickly among the screams and cheers.

 

“C’mon!” Ruby taunted, “That all you’ve got?!”

 

Just then, the harsh sequenced buzz of an alarm rattled off the clear walls. The Spartan ever so slightly turned her head, seeming as if she was noticing something.

Unbeknownst to Ruby, the circular symbol with the two arrows inside was turning, the filled in arrow gradually rising.

 

Achilles16 suddenly pivoted around and bolted the opposite direction of the Scout, dashing towards the slanted wall.

 

“Where are you going?!” Rose screeched, watching her opponent bound away.

 

The symbol abruptly halted its slow spiral, with the filled in arrow pointing up now.

Achilles16 lunged herself up, her boots thumping against the glass wall as she scaled the flat surface with surprising ease.

Ruby’s feet suddenly lifted off the ground, her body tumbling as she rose into the air.

 

Was she falling up?!

 

The Scout’s thoughts were interrupted as her back slammed into the ceiling, sending a wave of trauma through her torso.

Off in the distance, Achilles16 lunged up the wall, the inverted gravity creating a seamless motion as the Spartan descended (or ascended, depending on your point of view).

Ruby coughed and groaned as she hastily recomposed herself, watching her opponent leap onto the bounce pad, the glowing surface creating an awkward bass boom as it launched the warrior into the air.

Rose quickly swung Crescent Rose over her head and plunged the blade into the glass ceiling, the area shattering just below the plummeting Spartan.

 

With expert adaptation, Achilles16 somersaulted forwards once before springing her legs out just before she fell through the hole, her feet balancing perfectly on the edges of the gap.

Both of the girls jerked their heads up at the same time, an expression of shock and fear plastered all over her face.

Achilles16 suddenly slashed her shield up, smacking the edge on Ruby’s jaw with a resounding crack. The Spartan quickly followed up by ripping the metal guard down onto the Scout’s head with greater success.

Ruby dashed behind the warrior with a flurry of rose petals in a desperate attempt to land a hit. The girl hastily yanked the bolt hammer to her scythe as she swiftly raised the weapon.

With elegant ease, Achilles16 flipped forward, raising her shield over her chest. Ruby squeezed the trigger as it resulted in a deafening bang; the bullet splintered into bright sparks as it slammed into the Spartan’s dome-like guard while in mid-air and upside-down.

Just as the warrior’s feet hit the ground, the alarm began to go off again.

Achilles16 smoothly reversed the grip on her sword and flicked her wrist, causing the blade to shift into a spear.

The warrior then hurled her shield down to the ground, bouncing off and striking Ruby in the chest.

The Scout stumbled back, a split second before the arrow symbol finished turning, causing the girl to violently drop back to the normal ground with frightening speed.

With a sickening thud, Ruby’s body struck the floor, bouncing off only to add more trauma. As she forced herself up, the girl wildly spun her head around, looking for her opponent.

It was when the crowd’s cheers grew louder that she finally decided to look up.

 

( **End Music** )

 

Everything went into slow-motion.

 

Ruby stared in horror as Achilles16’s shadow overtook her, the warrior gracefully descending upon her with her spear arm reared back and ready to throw.

Rose had to act fast, before she met her end. With all her power, she quickly raised Crescent Rose, aiming right at her opponent’s head, scared out of her mind.

 

But that was just when everything reverted to normal time.

 

Achilles16 hurled her javelin at the Scout, the tip of the blade piercing through the air as it suddenly plunged through the hood of Ruby’s cape, causing the girl’s upper body to abruptly lurch back, causing her aim to wobble.

As a last-ditch effort, the Scout pulled the trigger.

A loud bang vibrated the floor as Rose’s back flopped onto it, quickly followed by the sound of a ricochet and glass shattering as she accidentally lost her grip on her scythe and watched as Crescent Rose slid away, far from her reach.

It wasn’t long until Ruby felt Achilles16’s boot drill into her chest, having all the momentum of the warrior’s fall shock through her spine.

 

The crowd roared to life with admiring calls and cheers for the triumphant warrior, whom stood frozen over Ruby, as if staring at freshly downed prey.

 

 

Achilles16 loomed over her, her helmet gone after taking all of the damage from the last shot. Not only was her face hard to see because of the lighting, but her hair was too long to see anything.

But there was something familiar about the Spartan’s hair though; it’s vibrant scarlet hue ringing some kind of bell in Ruby’s head.

The girl was suddenly brought back to reality as she watched the warrior yank her weapon from the ground, raising it above her head for the final blow.

As she raised it, the lighting hit her face just enough.

 

Ruby’s jaw dropped and her eyes widened, her head filled with shock and surprise rather than horror and fear.

Achilles16’s expression quickly followed suit with awe and quite frankly, looked more startled than Ruby.

 

“Wait, what?!” the Spartan practically screeched.

“No way,” the Scout murmured.

 

“Ruby?!” the warrior whimpered.

 

“Pyrrha?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some strange reason, I've got this eurobeat song called Gas Gas Gas stuck in my head and I can't stop listening to it. *I think I might need help.*  
> Speaking of music, I've somewhat accomplished finishing the playlist for this story. As of right now, it has 155 songs and is 8 hours and 9 minutes long, in total.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A dash of surprise, a pinch of vague betrayal, and a gallon of anxiety...

For a split second, the two girls paused, staring at each other with complete shock and surprise.

They had to do something and quickly, before people started to get suspicious.

 

“Kick me in the back,” Pyrrha hastily said.

“What?” Ruby questioned just as fast.

“Just do it,” Nikos hissed.

 

Rose hurled the toe of her boot into her friend’s back, causing the red-head to tumble off the Scout. The Spartan rolled into a perfect recovery, flinging her dome-like shield at the girl as soon as she grounded her footing.

With swift reflexes, Ruby zipped to the side, watching the disc crawl by like a frisbee in slow-motion. Just before the Scout burst forward, the shield suddenly began to glow with a dark aura and started to move in reverse.

Back into real time, Pyrrha’s guard zoomed back into her hand; just as Ruby shot towards her in a zig-zag pattern, her image appearing for only split seconds as she landed her turns, flutters of scarlet rose petals whipping in the distorted air.

With expert footing, Ruby vaulted herself over her friend with an impressive spinning somersault. The Scout’s boots slammed onto the see-through ground, flicking her wrists as thin slivers of metal blade sprung out from hiding.

As Rose thrust both of her arms at Nikos, Pyrrha swiftly pivoted herself, raising her shield as the metal razors collided with an odd thunk.

 

As the two struggled to win over the other, or at least make it look like it, Ruby quietly decided to speak first.

“How long has this been going on?” the little girl whispered, “You said you were terrible at this game! And I know this because I watched you!”

“I am!” Nikos apologetically whispered back, “Well, I was. I just had a lot of spare time for a while. And if it’s all the same to you, I still don’t understand most of this thing!”

 

Ruby let an exasperated sigh before murmuring, “Side-step and slash three times.”

 

The Spartan then abruptly shifted herself to the side, directing her friend’s momentum away from her. The Scout stumbled as she supposedly lost her footing, but quickly regained her composure just as the razor-sharp tip of Pyrrha’s sword zipped past her eye, coming dangerously close to making contact.

The red-head took another swipe, Rose jumping back as she dodged the swing; hastily ducking beneath the third slash, forcing herself forward as she fell to her knees, sliding between the Spartan’s legs.

With enough convenience, Ruby slid far and with enough power to reach Crescent Rose. With expert coordination, the red-caped girl slipped the toe of her boot underneath the stem of her weapon and kicked it up.

Smoothly, the girl hopped up and caught her plummeting scythe, raising it just as Pyrrha came charging with her sword.

Sparks flew as the sharp blade barreled against the red and black metal, forcing the two into another stand still.

 

“So, you kept playing,” Ruby muttered with strain in her voice, “That doesn’t explain how you leveled up faster than me.”

Pyrrha’s brows creased up, her bottom eye-lids slightly rose, and her mouth pursed a little.

“Have you been holding back this whole time?!” Rose quietly but harshly hissed with wide eyes and furrowed eye-brows.

“I’m sorry!” Nikos softly whined.

 

Ruby suddenly released her right grip on her scythe, causing the staff to collide with her ribs. With unseen skill, the Scout swung her arm over and around the stem of her weapon, pulling out her pistol and firing several rounds worryingly close to the Spartan.

Upon reflex, Pyrrha swiftly twirled around, slamming the flat of her shield into her friend’s mid-section, swinging up as Ruby’s feet lifted off the ground with sudden power and was sent sailing over and away from the red-head.

Controlling her descent, the Scout landed on her feet and burst forward with unbridled speed. Holding the curved blade of her scythe in front of her, Ruby rammed the weapon into the hastily raised shield of the Spartan.

The weapon and guard smashed into each other, resulting in the deep thrumming gong of something like a gigantic church bell.

Ruby drilled further, causing Pyrrha’s feet to slide backwards as the rumbling note rippled through her body.

And once again, the two friends came to another stand still, their arms now shaking, giving it everything they had.

 

“Ruby, listen,” Nikos whispered behind gritted teeth, “I truly want to settle this now but there are people watching, and one of us has to go.”

“As… much as I would like to say otherwise,” Rose quietly suggested, “I’ll take the fall. I’ll compete again in next week’s Arena.”

“Ruby, as a friend, I love you,” the Spartan grunted, “But that sounds like a stupid idea. Let me make it up to you and let you win. You’ll see the opening.”

“But--?”

“Take the win and I’ll give you cookies,” Pyrrha suddenly countered.

 

For a second or so, the red-caped girl was silent.

 

“Can you make them with strawberry chocolate bits?” Rose asked.

“Of course,” the red-head responded.

“Ugh, fine,” the little girl muttered, “Just, make it look convincing.”

 

With a sudden yank of the scythe’s bolt-hammer, another gong vibrated the air as the heavy caliber bullet struck the Spartan’s shield.

Ruby swiftly spun herself, swinging Crescent Rose backwards as the swipe knocked Nikos’ shield out of the way. And with expert handling, the girl twirled the opposite direction, hurling the weapon’s tip frighteningly fast.

To the average eye, no one would have seen anything wrong. But to Ruby as she used her speed, she saw what Pyrrha meant.

 

Her opening; the Spartan hadn’t raised her shield, leaving her entire torso exposed.

 

As everything continued in slow-motion, Ruby couldn’t help but feel both guilty and mad about all of this.

But mostly, she was mad.

Well, more disappointed… upset? Upset.

She was more upset than she was mad.

But she couldn’t tell which she was more upset about.

The fact that she was about to win a fair and balanced event out of pity from her friend, or that her friend was essentially playing nice and pretending to be worse than she actually was; which kind of felt humiliating, considering how long Ruby has known Pyrrha.

Either way, Rose could tell that she was going to bed with a scowl on her face tonight.

 

Everything suddenly kicked back into normal time.

 

Crescent Rose plunged into the Spartan’s collar-bone, her smooth flawless skin splitting and fragmenting as the large blade sunk deeper.

And with earth-shattering might, the huge scythe glided seamlessly through the shoulder of the red-head, her body splashing into a puddle of bronze, red, and gold diamonds; accompanied by the sound of what seemed like glass pellets falling on smooth ice.

 

“RedRose-47 wins the Arena!” Port bellowed.

 

The crowd boomed and rumbled with cheers and screams, echoing their energy down to the very town they were floating over.

 

“Our young winner now qualifies to advance onto the Genesis Trials!” Oobleck announced, “But be warned, in the Trials, you will not face off against thief gangs and creatures of the dark.”

“You and your team will clash with five bosses,” Port added, “Their whereabouts scattered throughout the world of Remnant. Take heed that these new opponents will not go down with little effort, if you withstand the tests before them.”

“Yes, you will be forced to use all your wit, willpower, and mind,” Oobleck sputtered, “But, should you succeed within the six-month period given, you and your team will be able to advance to the Vytal Games Tournament, where you will square off against the best in the history of the game, Team SALEM!”

 

The audience roared to life, chock full of adrenaline and excitement.

 

As she was being deafened by the cheering, Ruby stood and sulked.

By all means, she should have lost, thrown in with the fact that Pyrrha was clearly better at fighting than she let on.

And as an added sarcastically said plus, the new transfer students were coming in tomorrow, and change didn’t exactly bode well with Ruby.

 

The next six months are certainly going to be interesting.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I originally was going to have Pyrrha forfeit, but then I thought, "What if... I actually had some imagination and didn't write a whole chapter of rules and explanations?"
> 
> Side note: Finally managed to get past my little writer's block, but cannot promise anything more than at most one chapter a month.
> 
> Another side note: I'm not actually going to be done with this in six months, that's just the time-line within the story.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And the results are in!

(Listening to **Song of the Lost Girl, Detroit: Become Human Soundtrack** )

 

The Arena hallway was filled with copious amounts of other players; some waiting, others conversing, but all of them were in line to head back down to town on the ships they arrived in.

 

In the middle of it all, three of the four members of Team RWBY stood, with Weiss carrying the conversation.

 

“Didn’t the tail-end of that fight seem a little…,” Schnee paused, searching for the word, “Choreographed to either of you?”

“It looked fine to me,” Blake replied.

“Hmm,” Weiss hummed, crossing her arms, and shifting all of her weight to one foot, “Do you think Rose knows Achilles16 in real life?”

 

There was a moment of silence from Yang, whom appeared to be staring blankly at the wall behind Weiss.

 

“Oh, I’m sorry, I spaced out,” the blonde casually said, shaking her head a little, “What were we talking about?”

“I was asking if your sister knew Achilles16 IRL,” Schnee boldly stated again, “The last part of their battle felt a bit staged to me.”

“I dunno,” Xiao Long responded, goofily slurring the words together as she faintly shrugged her shoulders, “And if I did, I wouldn’t tell you.”

“And why not?” the Musketeer questioned.

“Because it’s fun watching you squirm,” the Gunslinger answered.

 

Weiss rolled her eyes, wondering why she expected much more than that out of her friend. Nevertheless, she enjoyed being with her friends.

And it was sad to say that Weiss had to accept that the three other members in this team were the only friends she had.

 

Being the daughter of an incredibly wealthy businessman was considerably lonelier than she was willing to admit.

Especially when your family was most infamously known for, and still doing, weapons dealings, good or bad.

The whole diner franchise was, in all honesty, a front.

‘To appeal to the public eye,’ as her father would say.

 

Being a weapons dealer’s child didn’t help with making friends.

Well, not honest friends.

Considering how filthy rich Weiss’ family was, that made the frighteningly vast majority of people trying to acquaint with her desperate or dangerous, sometimes both.

 

Not to mention the harsh stereotyping that came with it.

There were countless times where people just assumed that Weiss was too good, too smart, or too rich for them. And that she was nothing more than a snobby rich daddy’s little girl.

There was a point in time where she tried to be nice and do the right thing. She wanted to prove to everyone so badly on how she was a caring person.

But they didn’t listen, and soon enough she just gave up and assumed the role.

 

That all changed when she met Rose.

 

For the first time in her life, someone treated her as a real person.

And for once, she felt normal.

Rose had given Weiss a gift that couldn’t have a price-tag put on it.

 

A sense of belonging.

 

And it irked Schnee endlessly that this feeling was always temporary, but she would enjoy it while it lasted.

 

Just then, a cute, high-pitch squeal rose from silence and rapidly grew louder.

Out of nowhere, a tornado of scarlet petals encircled the three girls, the wind whipping at their skin as the cute scream rippled as the blurred and faint image of a small girl circled around them.

With a sudden whoosh, Ruby twirled to a stop, bearing a wide smile that stretched from ear to ear.

 

“Did you see that?!” the little girl squealed.

“You won!” Weiss congratulated.

“Heck yeah I did!” Rose cheered.

 

“Yes, congratulations to you all,” a young male voice interjected.

 

The four girls turned their attention to a small boy; no taller, if not shorter than Ruby.

He had short dark chocolate brown hair, which was messily swept in every direction, with emerald green eyes that gradually turned to a more amber color near his pupils.

His freckled cheeks accented his tanned skin uniquely, like a farm-boy. But his attire consisted of formal black coat and slacks, an olive-green shirt and ascot.

This boy’s name was Oscar.

 

Well, technically, he wasn’t a real-life boy and his name actually wasn’t Oscar.

 

He was the system A.I.

 

His job was to ensure the players were safe and make sure each and every server in the game was running smoothly, of which he executed brilliantly.

When it came to the player’s safety, the Genesis franchise spared no expense, especially when it came to a software that had to jack into the user’s brain.

 

“You have fought hard and well to deserve this honor,” Oscar assured, “But you must fight even harder from now on. The enemies ahead are strong, and you must be stronger.”

“You will be given six months to defeat five bosses while being hunted yourself. This task will not be easy, as it will test all of your strength, wits, and minds. But I have total confidence that you will succeed. Good luck.”

 

Just then, Oscar was consumed by a wave of black diamonds washed over him, disappearing as they fell to the ground as white progress bars popped into existence above each of the girl’s heads.

Each of them filled up to the maximum, immediately following up with the two words any gamer would love.

 

Level Up.

 

Suddenly, a bright see-through layer of glowing white light enveloped the girls as a dull shockwave pulsed from their feet.

 

Ruby grew giddy as she ranked up to Level 18, which meant more health, extra damage, and new skills and perks.

“Aw, hell yeah,” Yang quietly paraded as she and the others quickly opened their menus, four rhombus-shaped screens jolting into the world as they started to make their way to the carrier ship.

 

If one had to put the ranking system simply, it would be this.

Fighting (and winning) grants experience, experience levels you up, leveling up gives you skill points; and after that, it becomes rather self-explanatory.

Certain skills can give you certain abilities and will vary in cost, depending on your level.

One could also enhance specific abilities by obtaining upgrade points, which were dropped randomly by kills in varying amounts, but were always in small quantities to make it a challenge.

 

In the World of Remnant, the player had two skill trees; a combat and social tree.

While the combat tree was solely dependent on which Class and Type you were, the social tree was completely independent and optional.

 

For Ruby, her social title was Engineer; meaning she specialized in crafting new gear for her team-mates.

Concerning Weiss, she was a Researcher. Her social abilities allowed her to evaluate the playing field and discover weaknesses for their enemies.

As for Blake, she was left undecided. She didn’t know what she wanted yet.

And finally, Yang was a Mechanic. Her skills lay in repairing vehicles and gear.

 

“Ooohh, Ice Path,” Weiss said aloud, “User can cast a strip of ice that they can slide or skate along for a certain time. Longer use can be obtained through upgrading. Yes, please.”

 

“Dragon-breath,” Yang added, “Hits taken will store up flames within the player’s model, which can be released through forceful exhale. Faster charging can be upgraded. Noice.”

 

“Shadow Attack,” Blake continued, “Send out your Shadow Clone to dish out a singular devastating blow to your opponent. Damage will correlate with the number of Clones. Hmm, why not?”

 

“Aww, Kinetic Generator,” Ruby started to finish, “When using Haste, the player will build up energy as they run, which can be used in a variety of ways. And I have just enough left to get Apprentice Craftsmen!”

 

“Wait, that’s just what I need,” Yang exclaimed as she scrolled through her menu, “Take these gauntlets.”

 

A pair of yellow-plated gauntlets then appeared front of Ruby, with a distinct diamond shape over where the palm of the hand should be.

After that, Yang quickly gave her sister the second set of pistols she had.

 

“I thought of something awesome a while ago,” Xiao Long explained with a stupidly large grin on her face.

 

The four boarded the ship as Ruby began tinkering with the blonde’s ‘idea.’

About halfway through the ride, Ice-Queen2.0 asked for a very similar favor, combining Myrtenaster with her revolver.

 

As the ship landed, the group gave their goodbyes.

Ruby hugged Ice-Queen2.0, which lasted a little longer than it should have.

 

“Oh wait,” the white-clad girl fumbled, “Let me give you my contact info. That way this place doesn’t have to be the only way we can talk.”

 

Ruby turned to her sister, whom responded by nodding with a childish grin and giving two thumbs-up.

And the two swapped their information without a word.

 

Weiss gave one final wave goodbye before she logged off, Blake doing the same not long after.

 

Ruby lifted the visor off her eyes, which ached slightly.

But then again, she was staring at a screen for…

Rose looked for her clock.

Three hours straight.

Meaning it was most definitely time for bed.

 

Weiss took off her visor, rubbing her eyes from strain.

Already in her pajamas, she prepared for bed.

 

The two slipped into their mattresses, staring at the ceiling.

Hoping they could one day finally see each other in the real world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if it feels like it crapped out at the end.  
> I really hadn't thought that part through enough.  
> But i just really wanted to finish this up so we can get into the real meat of this story.


	11. Chapter 11

(Listening to **Natasha, Captain America: The Winter Soldier Soundtrack** )

 

“The girls asleep?” Taiyang asked Qrow, sitting down at the dining room table with a cold non-alcoholic beer in hand.

“Yeah,” the uncle answered.

“And Yang?” the father questioned.

“Especially Firecracker,” the drunkard replied, “So, about that dating profile--.”

“I’m not doing online dating,” Xiao Long interrupted.

“The hell you’re not,” Branwen shot back.

“Do you realize how risky that shit is?” Tai hissed.

“Oh c’mon, what’s wrong with a little risk?” Qrow sarcastically asked, “I took risks and look how I turned out.”

“Drunk out of your mind half of the time you’re conscious,” Xiao Long answered, “Barely able to stand on your own physically and financially and have a surprisingly resilient liver.”

Qrow was silent for a second.

 

“Fair point, but not the one I’m making,” the uncle returned, “Do you really want to die alone?”

 

Taiyang stayed quiet, eyeing his wedding ring.

 

“You honestly don’t think she’ll come back?” Xiao Long asked, a hint of worry in his voice.

“With what she’s done,” Branwen answered, “I highly doubt we’ll even _find_ her in one piece.”

 

A moment of silence ensued, the two men deep in thought.

 

“Visit the site,” Qrow insisted calmly, “Get back out there. I’m sure there are plenty of women who find a middle-aged man with two kids attractive.”

“Three kids,” Taiyang added, “You forgot yourself.”

“Oh, yeah,” Branwen returned, lightly hitting his forehead with the ball of his wrist, “Duh.”

 

The two chuckled as the light from the dining room poured into the upstairs.

 

Yang sat quietly by the stairs, her back and head leaning on the support beams to the rail-guard, black-faced as a deep sense of hate for her mother seeping into her heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is super late and short.  
> I have no excuse for the timeliness, I'm just lazy.  
> However, the briefness can be explained. By the time I finally got to this, I had a skull-shattering head-ache and I'm incredibly sorry for all of it.  
> I will make up by working on more quality writing in the near future.


End file.
